Her Song
by momoli
Summary: When Michelle pushes their duties on her, will Amara push her away for someone else? What does this mean for their future? I'm horrible at summaries, sorry! Rated for later chapters. I don't own Sailor Moon or anything Sailor Moon related.
1. Calm Seas

"Nooo! Not again!" the pigtailed girl shrieks, clutching her face.  
'GAME OVER' blinks on the screen.  
"I can't do it Mina, I'm just no good!" she mopes. The other blonde, stands up, enraged.  
"You can't give up Serena! You just need to keep practicing! I need a racing opponent! You need to practice!"  
"Speaking of practicing," Serena says, turning towards her friend, "shouldn't we be getting to Raye's? We're going to be late for Study Buddies.."  
Mina clenches her fist, shouting, "No we should not we should be getting to DRIVING! My racing career is going to be over if you don't help me!"

"I'll race you," they both hear, and look up, "I'll even let you have a head start."  
Their jaws drop. Before their eyes is the most beautiful creature- a dusty blonde haired, green eyed god. Dressed in checkered slacks and a red blazer, a mischievious grinned god.  
Neither Serena or Mina had ever seen such a beauty; it was as if time had stopped and the only thing moving was the person in front of them.

Mina shoves Serena out of her seat, onto the floor. "Absolutely!" she says to the third blonde, returning the smile. She motions to the seat Serena once occupied. The green eyed looker turns to Serena, holding out a briefcase.  
"Could you hold this for me?"  
Serena returns the question with a groan, accepting.

Mina and her opponent put their quarters into the machine and wait as the game begins.  
'_How lucky am I?!' _Mina says in her mind, '_This guy is so dreamy!_'  
Though she can't get over the fact this beau approached her, there was no way she'd be beat at her own favorite game.  
The game begins. Ready: 3, 2, 1, go!  
Mina's foot hits the pedal, her yellow car speeding faster than all the others. For whatever reason, though, the car on the other screen didn't move.  
"Uh, hello?" Serena says, "Earth to Player B? The race started.."  
"I know," says 'Player B', though directing it towards Mina. "It's only fair if I had some sort of disadvantage- I wouldn't want to embarrass you right from the start."  
Mina's jaw drops, in disbelief of what was just said.  
'_What!? Does he even know who he's talking to!? Embarrass ME?!_' she says furiously to herself. Before she finished her thought, though, her question is answered.  
"I guess I'll start now." The person beside her's foot slams the pedal, and the red car on her screen starts moving faster than the screen can even pick up. Serena watches as the speed rises as laps are sped through. Her eyes widen. Over 300km? Was that even possible?  
The smug smile on Mina's adversary said yes, as the bright red car blasted past Mina's yellow one. Mina's eyes practically shoot out of her head, and her heart drops.  
"How did you pass me!?" She shouts, "I was flying!"  
"Wow.." Serena slips in, still staring at the screen. She clutches the briefcase to her chest. "You're really good."  
"Yes I am." is the reply, the speed on the screen still rising.  
Mina's frusteration grows as she tries to push the pedal down more, trying to mimic the person next to her. There is no way she can be beat at this! Racing games were her specialty and she's not about to be beaten by some stranger with an attitude problem! She whips around a corner, passing one more lap. She tries not to pay any attention to anyone around; she cannot be beaten!  
Suddenly, the red car passes her yellow one, lapping her a second time. This time, her car is flipped over and off the track.  
"That is NO fair!" she screams, "There is NO way you passed me twice!"  
GAME OVER blinks on her screen as WINNER blinks on the one to the left.  
Sulking, she mutters, "How embarrassing.."  
"Don't be," replies the stranger, "with a little practice, you could be the prettiest race car driver around."  
Mina's head perks up, "Really, you think so?" she blushes. The prettiest! "Would you maybe wanna give me some lessons..?"  
Serena catches on to what Mina is trying to do, and scowls.

"You'd learn from the best." They hear, and all turn to look.  
It's as if time stops once more as the most beautiful girl they have ever seen steps up.  
Her hair is like the color of the ocean, her eyes the same. Her porcelain skin mimics that of a doll's, her elegant features are that of a model's.  
She, too, is dressed in a red blazer, this time with a checkered skirt, rather than slacks.  
Serena and Mina stare in amazement as she approaches.  
"Sorry, Amara, my errands ran late," she says to the dusty blonde, who returns her apology in saying, "Don't worry about it, I had a good time."  
Before walking out, Mina's new racing rival turns and says, "See ya, good luck with your game. Both of you keep practicing, maybe we can all play together next time."  
"That sounds great!" Serena says, a bit overexcited. Mina rolls her eyes. "Absolutely."  
The two girls stare as the most beautiful people they've ever seen leave the arcade together.

"You sure do make friends fast, Amara." says the aqua-haired beauty, once out of hearing distance.  
"I suppose. Jealous, Michelle?" Amara replies smugly.  
"Not a chance, I'm just saying, they definitely liked you!" she chuckled.  
"They were nice. Awful drivers, but good kids."

"If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up!" says Serena, standing in the doorway of the arcade with Mina and Andrew, their friend who works there.  
Rather than competing for Andrew's attention, this time, both girl's were ogling at the sight walking away.  
"Wherever he came from, I wanna go!" Mina drools. "Please, someone pinch me."  
Andrew pinches her.  
"Ouch! I didn't mean really! Oh, hi Andrew."  
The three of them laugh together and the girls snap back into reality and out of the fantasies they were both concocting in their heads.

Two figures sat in a coffee shop; their normal routine. Deep in conversation, they noticed nothing and no one around them.  
"The sea is acting up, Amara," says Michelle, hushed. "I fear something is near.. I just can't tell if it's good or bad."  
"Let's hope it's not bad" Amara replies, just as quiet, but not as calm. After sipping from the cup, continues, "I know you said you felt something about this town, let's hope for the best." Pushing short blonde hair from concerned emerald eyes, stands up. "Let's get out of here."

They had no idea they were being watched.  
"Look how dreamy they are," Serena says, "so perfect!" Mina pulls her back around the corner to whisper.  
"I have to tell you something, Serena.. I think Amara and I have a connection.. I think he's my soulmate."  
"WHAT?" Serena exclaims, Mina's hand immediately covering the open mouth. "Shh! They can hear us!"  
"Are you blind, Mina? He's totally with Miss Perfect over there, are you not looking at the same two people?"  
"Oh c'mon Serena, you know there was something going on between us!" she looks at a waitress and says, "Okay, what's going on with those two in the corner?" to no one in particular, but the waitress answers anyway.  
"Aren't they adorable? They seem to be really close!"  
Mina looks at her with a straight face. "I don't think so."  
She waitress giggles, oblivious, and walks away as the two girls look back around the corner to see that both Amara and Miss Perfect were gone. They run outside to find them.

"Michelle, meet me here later, I'm going to check in with Anthony." Amara says to her ocean-eyed friend. Michelle nods and walks away in the opposite direction.  
Amara feels a prescence, already knowing who it is before even having to think. Someone's watching.

Serena and Mina crouch behind the corner of the bridge Amara and Michelle just crossed.  
"Mina.. isn't spying a bit much?" Serena says, already bored of what's going on. They watch as Amara walks into a warehouse.  
"We're not _spying_, Serena, I'm keeping an _eye_ on the man of my dreams! Okay, let's go."  
They both scurry over to the entrance of the warehouse as quietly as possible, so Amara doesn't hear them. They peek inside.  
Amara's walking over to a blue convertible, a man working beneath it. Curious, the girls listen in.  
"Hi, Anthony," Amara says, "it's me." The man rolls out from under the car. "Oh hey Amara, how are you?"  
"I'm great. Did you fix it up yet?" motioning to the car.  
"Pretty much, she's gonig to be as good as new when I'm done with her!"  
"Awesome, I can't wait."

What none of them know is somewhere, evil is rearing it's dark head.  
In the depths of his lab, Doctor Tomoe is once again creating a seed for heart snatchers.  
"Kaori Night, have you any news?"  
"Target found, Doctor. Is your new creation ready?"  
"Ready and waiting. At last, the pure heart crystal will be our's!"

He lets the seed in his hand fly into the air. "Fly free my darling!" he shouts, and cackles evily to himself.  
Kaori Night leaves him in his glory.

Little do the girls know, that beauty of a car is the Heart Snatcher's seed's target.  
"Serena, you should get to Raye's! She'll kill you if you don't get there for Study Buddies!" Mina offers.  
"Uh, I'll take my chances. Plus, they wouldn't want me to leave you here all alone! What if something happened to you?"  
Mina rolls her eyes and they both hide as Amara walks over to the entrance of the warehouse. They stay hidden as Amara leans against a wall.  
"So," Anthony says, "what do you do with yourself while your car's in the shop? I bet you've resorted to other things."  
Amara shrugs and chuckles, knowing the two are behind the wall. "Yeah, I guess. I've been keeping busy, virtual racing down at the arcade."  
"Did someone say arcade?" Mina says, showing herself. Serena laughs, uncomfortably as Amara looks at them and walks outside.  
Amara leans against the barrier of the bridge, back to the girls, and looks out into the sky.  
"If you're curious about something, you can stop following me, or spying on me, and just ask." The girls eyes pop.  
"No, we weren't following you!" Mina exclaims, hand on her head.  
"We're way more mature than that!" pipes in Serena, "We don't follow people around!"  
"Oh," says Amara, "then I wonder why two pretty girls would all of a sudden be exactly where I am.."  
"I know," Mina raises her hand from her head into the air. Serena follows suit.  
"Maybe they want to know how important perfect skin and hair means to you!"  
"And beautiful eyes!" Serena chimes in once again.  
Amara is puzzled, not understanding what's going on. "Huh?"  
Mina keeps rambling. "I mean, is that what you want? Are things serious with her?"  
"Yeah!" the peep comes from Serena, curious, but not wanting to get in the way.

Amara raises an eyebrow. "Serious with who? Michelle? Is that who you're talking about?"  
"Yes," cries Mina, "are you two.. an item?"  
Amara smiles, and chuckles. "You two are funny, but no, we're no item."  
The girls are hopeful, and Amara continues, "You two are very sweet, and I know you'll both find your prince charmings someday."  
"Or, today." Mina says, her hope soaring through the roof.

"Amara, the love guru," Michelle says, appearing out of almost nowhere, "Amara has this fantasy of people finding true love, and living happily ever after." she says to the girls.  
"And there's nothing wrong with believing in that." Amara almost pouts. The girls look back and forth between the two.  
"Oh, no, except for it's not even realistic. Anyone who sits around waiting for their knight in shining armor is living in a fake fairytale." Michelle argues.  
Amara's eyes roll, "Not again."  
The more Michelle puts in her input on love, the more and more outraged Mina gets. How could someone just think love doesn't exist? Everyone has a soul mate, everyone can find true love if they try. True love is real! True love is amazing! People like Michelle are the one's living in a fake world. A world where love exists isn't a real world, love is everywhere.  
"I have a question for you, _Michelle,_" Mina says, face red with anger. "If you don't believe in fairytales, does that mean you don't think Amara is your prince charming? Yes or no!"  
"Definitely a no."

The girls turn around to consult with each other. "She said no!" Serena says excitedly, "That means Amara is fair gaaaame!"  
"Yeah but you aren't, are you forgetting about _Darien_? How do you think he'd like hearing that you've found a new man for yourself?"  
"No no! I would never leave my Darien..we are meant to be!" Serena gets starry-eyed, and starts daydreaming about her handsome prince.  
"Exactly, so keep your hands off! Amara is mine!"

They turn back around, and they Amara sits up onto the barrier. They all look in on Anthony, working on the car.  
"Anthony is an great mechanic," Amara says, getting excited, "his dream is to be the best mechanic and work for a professional racing team.. I could only imagine how amazing that would be, to be able to listen to the roar of those engines every day, and watching those cars speed around the track.. there is nothing better."  
The three girls could see Amara begin to fantasize, those dark green eyes getting dreamy. They all begin to envision the racetrack described, in their heads.  
Amara keeps rambling. "It must feel so magical to be behind the wheel of one of those perfect machines."  
"Wow," Mina says, "you really love it, don't you?"  
Michelle answers, "Amara has always dreamed of being a famous driver-"  
Amara cuts her off. "Dreamed. Once. It'll never happen. I'm just not good enough."  
"What?" Michelle becomes concerned. Since when did Amara feel this way? Amara has always loved driving, and was faster than the wind that blew. Was something wrong? Maybe their current mission was clouding Amara's hopes for the future.  
"You can't give up," says a concerned Mina, "you're so great."  
"You can't say that!" says Amara. "You've only see me play a video game. Video games aren't real life you know. They're not real."  
"You can't give up Amara!" Serena shouts back immediately, "you have to hold onto your dreams whether or not they're difficult! Giving up is just too easy."

Amara's face becomes grave. "I have come to accept the fact that I can never fufill the dreams I once had. It's just time for me to find a new dream. It's unrealistic to think my old plans can come true now. Racing just isn't my destiny; my destiny has changed."  
Michelle puts her hand on Amara's for comfort. Why wasn't this discussed with her before? Why was Amara keeping all this from her? They were so close, and everything was always open between the two.  
Feeling she let Amara down, Michelle frowns. What a failure, not being there. How could she not notice something was wrong? Was she blind? She could read the ocean's emotions like words on a page, but why could she not see Amara's sadness? She squeezes Amara's hand.

Inside the garage, Anthony finishes with the car. He gets up, wipes his brow, and grins to himself. This car turned out great. He was so happy at the way everything was working for him.  
"Alright beautiful, let's hear you sing." he says, and grabs the keys. Suddenly, everything around him turns black, and he screams, jumping back. The car begins beeping, not the song he expected. Amara and the girls snap into attention.  
Seeing, what's happening, Serena wails. Amara jumps up and shouts Anthony's name, but Michelle tightens their hand's grip. Amara looks back.  
"Be careful." Michelle whispers, and Amara nods.

The car jumps upright onto it's front, and begins a transformation as Anthony still cries out. It starts screaming just as loud, if not louder. The light coming from it becomes brighter and brighter, in such a dark way. Anthony is terrified, and covers his eyes. The car begins to take shape, into a mutated form of a human being. It's skin becomes pink, eyes form on it's face, below a helmet and above a scowling mouth. In it's hands is a steering wheel; from it's sides four tires. It was a heart snatcher.  
"Let's go for a drive!" the heart snatcher bellows, Anthony jumps back again. "What are you!?" he asks, scared out of his mind.  
"I'm your creation of destruction and you look ready for some action!" it replies, throwing four restraints at him. They grab all four limbs, lifting Anthony into the air. He screams for help again, and Serena and Mina run after the beast.  
"Stop right there!" shouts Serena.  
"You leave him alone!" Mina exclaims, and clumsily slips on oil, sending them both crashing. The heart snatcher heads toward Anthony, unphased. Underneath him, the same way he was just underneath the car she inhabited, let's her black star show, sucking his heart from him. He falls unconcious.  
"This is what I was after?" She exclaims, somewhat bored. "It's pretty I guess, but what does it do? Who am I to say, I did my job. Off we go!"  
She revs her engine and jets off, dust flying behind.

The girls jump out of the mess of gas cans they tumbled into, and Serena sees Anthony's heart has been stolen.  
"A mechanic who dreams of fixing cars needs his heart to do that!" she exclaims, as Mina leaps up.  
"Amara! Don't worry, I'm okay! Amara?" her face drops. "He ran away? He didn't _save me_?"  
"Uh, hello!" Serena checks her back into reality, "You're a Sailor Scout, YOU'RE supposed to be doing the saving here!"  
"Oh, right! I forgot about that," Mina chuckles, and thrusts her hand into the air.  
"Venus, Star, Power!" she clutches her pen.  
A bright light engulfs Mina, sending her into transformation. Stars surround her, forming her uniform. When she emerges as Sailor Venus, Serena follows her lead and shouts, "Moon, Cosmic Power!"  
Her brooch opens, revealing her silver crystal, which emits her power. She too is englufed in a bright light, and completes her transformation quickly. They run out of the garage.

As the heart snatcher is driving down the road, she quickly realizes she is not alone. Shouting "Vroom vroom!" to herself, she tries speeding up to no avail.  
Amara and Michelle are hot on her heels on a motorcycle. "Are you ready to put this car out of commission, Michelle?" Amara shouts, and Michelle nods. Amara steers the motorcycle up the side of the barrier, right onto the heart snatcher, who let's out a loud screech as it crashes.  
"I hate motorcycles!" she exclaims, "And your's is no acception!"

"Hey, you!" the heart snatcher hears, and looks up. There, standing atop the barrier, is Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus.  
"It's the end of the line for you!" shouts Sailor Venus.  
Sailor Moon continues where Sailor Venus left off. "Looks like a dead end!"  
They both jump down to the heart snatcher's level as she stands up from the crash. She looks around. Amara and Michelle are again nowhere to be found.

"I'm Sailor Moon, the champion of justice! I will right wrongs, and triumph over evil motormouths like you!"  
The heart snatcher just cackles. "You're crazy if you think you can stop me! You're right in the middle of my track!" Suddenly, huge spikes emerge from the four tires attached to her sides and the girls get nervous.

"How about you take us on you crazed piece of junk!" comes from nowhere, and the heart snatcher jumps, startled. The two girls look over and see two figures, and are shocked: sailor scouts?

"I'm Sailor Uranus, I'm here to send you back to where you came!" says the short-haired soldier.  
"And I'm Sailor Neptune, you better give back that heart crystal or you'll be done for!" is shouted out by the blue-haired scout.

"Sailor Scouts?" questions Sailor Venus, "Who are they!"  
"I don't know," replies Sailor Moon, "how many of us are there?"  
"Too many of you!" shouts the heart snatcher. She revs her engine once more, but before she has the chance to move, Sailor Uranus released her attack.  
"Uranus World Shaking!" A large, massive, orange ball of power comes from the hands raised above her head, and she directs it towards the heart snatcher. A direct hit, and the heart snatcher screams. Sailor Neptune continues the barrage with her own attack:  
"Neptune, Deep, Submerge!" the same ball of planet power, this time blue, is shot at the heart snatcher, surrounded by waves. The heart snatcher screams again, and Sailor Venus calls out to Sailor Moon. "Finish her off!"  
Sailor Moons nods in agreement, and raised her scepter. "Moon Spiral, Heart Attack!" she exclaims, and the power of beauty that comes from her shatters the heart snatcher's body as it lets out an earpiercing scream.  
Amara's car takes form once again, and the seed that had been implanted disappeared.

Sailor Uranus and Neptune examine the heart crystal they hold in their hands.  
"It's not a pure one," says Uranus, "it's no good to us."  
"I figured," says Neptune, and shouts to the other scouts that they can have the crystal.  
"Give it back to who it belongs." says Uranus, and they disappear as quietly as they came.

Sailor Moon and Venus are puzzled. Why wouldn't they be able to have it? And why weren't the other scouts sticking around? Putting aside their questions, they focused on the safety of the heart crystal.  
They got back to the garage and returned the crystal to Anthony, making sure he was alright.  
Amara and Michelle were nowhere to be found.

"I have a feeling those Sailor Scouts are going to be getting in our way, Michelle."  
"Yes I know. I don't like to think they will be too much of a problem, but maybe I'm just being hopeful."  
Amara leans back and sips from her cup. Michelle does the same.

"Well, I'm glad you skipped out on Study Buddies to go chase some boy!" shouts Raye, the girl with the raven black hair, crossing her arms.  
"It wasn't just a boy!" protests Mina, "He is the man of my dreams!"  
"But, we haven't seen Amara or Michelle since the incident at the garage, and they just disappeared.." says Serena quietly. Her curiosity was rising as each minute went by. Where could they have possibly gone, did they not see the trouble right in front of them? Did they maybe get hurt while everything was happening?  
Hopefully they got away safely, but that doesn't make anything make any more sense. Nothing makes sense at all, especially those new scouts. Who were they, and where did they come from?  
"And what do you think about those scouts you came into contact with?" asked Amy, the smarter, more logical one, "Where do you think they came from?"  
"Artemis and Luna are looking into it right now, but they have no idea so far. Either way, I'm psyched to find out what Sailor Uranus and Neptune are like!" Lita pipes in.  
Mina is moping on the seat of the racing game that began this fateful day with Amara. Where could he have gone? Her prince charming, her beautiful racing rival. Those beautiful green eyes, that dreamy hair. He was probably off with Michelle somewhere, the girl who didn't even think he was right for her!  
All of them stood in the arcade, wondering to themselves their own different questions, especially Serena. She just couldn't stop wondering why Uranus and Neptune didn't stick around.  
All Mina cared about was where Amara could possibly be.

"Oh, hello there." they all hear, and look to the arcade entrance. Mina lights up. It's Amara and Michelle! In the same attire as before, Amara has that same red blazer in hand, rather than wearing it, revealing a button up, and some not-so-manly features. Mina is shocked. "Amara! Is that you?!"  
Michelle laughs, "Of course it is."

All the other girls jump up. "Where!?" shouts Raye, jumping on Mina's back. Lita leans on their backs, "Where's the cute guy?"  
Amara blinks, and laughs. "I guess that would be me."  
All the girls look at Mina, and Amara laughs, shrugging. "Sorry if it ruins everything that I'm a girl!"  
Mina and the other girls sulk, depressed that there was no hunky prince charming after all. Amy looks at Mina, then at Serena. "I guess that's what happens when you blow off Study Buddies!"  
Serena slaps her own forehead. "I guess so, but I can't help when Mina doesn't listen to me."

Amara laughs again. "We just wanted to check in, but we're going to get going. Sorry for the let down, girls."  
Without waiting for an answer, the two leave.

Michelle laughs. "I knew something was up with they way they were interested in you."  
"I guess, I think you were just jealous." Amara smirks, looking down at her beautiful friend.  
"Either way, I think you just broke that poor girl's heart. I think she actually believed you could be her prince charming."  
They both get into the blue convertible, and Michelle finishes what she was saying as Amara drives off.  
"We both know true love doesn't exist."  
"We don't have the time for true love to exist."

Later on that night, Amara is sitting at the table in their kitchen when Michelle walks in. After making herself a cup of tea, she sits down.  
"Amara, what's on your mind?" she says, thinking about how earlier that day, Amara expressed how she had given up her dreams of being a race car driver.  
"What do you mean? All that's on my mind is our mission, Michelle, you know that."  
Michelle nods, and blinks slowly. She looks straight into Amara's eyes.  
"Yes, I know, and our mission is our top priority right now. But that doesn't mean you can't still have a bright vision for your future. It doesn't mean you have to give up your passion."  
Amara tried not to get angry. What was Michelle trying to accomplish? Ever since they started this journey together, Amara had to constantly be reminded by Michelle that the mission was the only thing they had time for. They were a team that needed to fight together with no distractions. How could she sit here and say that Amara needed to keep hold of the dreams she once had? It made no sense.  
Holding in anger was never Amara's strong point. Looking everywhere except Michelle's face, and sighs. Michelle was never one to ever push hopes and dreams on people. Michelle was always the one who had to bring Amara back to reality when it came to the dreams she had. Racing, true happiness, freedom.. true love. All of these things were just not realistic, not anymore. Michelle let her know every day. Every time any of those things ever came up, especially between the two.  
"You know that our mission of the pure heart crystals is more important than anything. You remind me all the time, Michelle, don't do this to me. It's not logical to have dreams of being a _race car driver_; it's just not going to happen. I know I'm good, but it will just never happen. I'll just stick to the video games."  
Michelle sips her tea, her heart frowning. Yes this mission needs to be their priority, but that doesn't mean things can never happen for the two of them. Michelle was living her dream as a musician, it was only fair that Amara could do the same. But what could she do? She couldn't allow Amara to be distracted when it could so easily be done. Amara was a dreamer, she lived for things that made her feel a rush: speed, risk, all of that. She was unpredictable when she wanted to feel free. That was why Michelle was so afraid to give her room to run; she may never come back. And, not only could Michelle not lose her, but she knew it would just mess with Amara's head. Once Amara knew what she has to do, she usually sticks to it, but once something comes along that she knows will make her feel that freedom, even for a moment, she's gone. She's after it.  
Amara breaks the silence. "You always tell me to keep my focus on our mission. That's what I'm doing. I'm doing it for our future, for the greater good of everybody. I know our duties Michelle.. I know _my_ duties."  
Knowing that arguing with Amara would be pointless, Michelle nods in agreement. "Maybe it's best you let racing go."  
Amara nods back, but doesn't speak. In her heart, speed is everything. That rush, that feeling is everything. Ever since Michelle came into her life, ever since this mission had been brought before her, speed has been on the backburner, begging Amara to reveal her true self.  
But that couldn't happen. In Amara's mind, pushing those feelings to the deepest depths of her heart was the only way to cope.  
She had to concentrate on the pure hearts.  
The world depended on her.


	2. Churning Waters

The next morning was like a slap in the face. Having layed in bed full of thought until early hours, Amara felt drained. Her curtains shut, her room was dark, but she could hear the birds outside. They had definitely gotten a good rest the night before. They weren't up contemplating their lives or meaning.  
Amara was.  
How could she go on with her life like this? Pretending like everything was going how she wants. It just wasn't. She felt confined. She _was_ confined.  
Ever since she met Michelle..  
She would never say she _regrets_ Michelle showing up in her life.. but she definitely wishes it was on different circumstances.  
Her life with Michelle was great, they were an amazing team, the power they had was unmatched, even when not together.  
And, Michelle was beautiful. Her perfect, flawless skin that was so soft to the touch. It could easily be compared to freshly fallen snow, the rare snow that you know no one could ever taint. Her hair, her hair the color of the sea, and her eyes just the same. Her eyes that held so much emotion, all the emotions in the world, and Amara only could see. Only because Michelle let her. They were all each other had.  
And, sure, Michelle was precious, and of course Amara cared for her, but Michelle didn't believe in love. She made that clear many times. Especially to Amara. And, though sometimes, Amara does question Michelle's intentions with her, it's factual that Michelle is only focused on their main goal of finding pure heart crystals.  
Yet, Amara's mind wandered. There was no way her mind could only be concentrated on heart crystals. There was so much in the world to focus on. Not even the things Amara cared for, but everything. To others in the world, heart crystals didn't even exist.  
Some people had their jobs. Some had their children. Some had pets, and others had plants, or music, or art. Some taught and helped others, and most especially, some people had love. True love, the kind that sweeps you right off your feet. The kind where you can't stop thinking about that one person that makes your heart flutter, that puts knots in your throat.  
Amara could only dream.  
She could only dream that one day she'd have love with someone. But, as Michelle often reminded her, true love wasn't real. Amara was beginning to believe that. Even if it wasn't completely make believe in Amara's mind, it didn't matter, because she already had her destiny paved for her. She had no time or room for love.  
And, of course she has her cars. Her love for cars was almost crazy, she lives for racing, lives for speed and that feeling of release when she knew nothing in the world could touch her..  
But, love for a car is completely different than love for another human being.  
She used to think maybe Michelle was her soul mate. If soul mates even exist. And, though the feelings have deteriorated, Michelle was still there after all the difficult nonsense Amara shoved in her face.  
Amara had changed her mind about Michelle many times. Sure, she loved Michelle once, maybe, but did she now? Is that what this devoted feeling was, love? She'd give her life for Michelle, she'd do anything for her. But is that what love is?  
Amara didn't know. Amara's thoughts raced faster than she could.

She closes her eyes, giving up on her thoughts of meeting her soul mate, and drifted back into sleep.

Days passed as the trail of the pure heart crystals somewhat began to fade. Michelle grew increasingly worried that maybe they weren't in the right location after all. And, not only that, but she could see Amara getting more and more depressed as days went by. She rarely drove her car, always went for walks, only late at night. What was there to do? How do you approach someone when you know you can't solve their problem? Michelle knew she had to do something, before she lost Amara altogether. She could never lose Amara - not only because she was all Michelle had, not also because their mission required the two of them together. She couldn't let all their work go to waste. She turned the tea kettle on and waited for the water to boil.  
The only thing she had to turn to was the sea.

Amara got out of the shower, a week had passed since that incident at Anthony's garage. She might as well go visit him.  
Getting dressed, she picked out the usual slacks and a button up, deciding against a blazer because of the weather being so warm.  
What was she to do today? Other than visit Anthony, what was there to do? She could always go for a walk, but why do that when she had her car?  
She knew.  
She'd go for a drive.

Walking down the stairs, she noticed a note on the table.

'_Amara-  
__I left early this morning to consult the sea. I may be home late, don't be concerned._

_-Michelle"_

Smiling, she knew Michelle was up to something. Either that, or something was on her mind.  
Whatever the matter, she knew she'd be hearing about it soon. They had been somewhat neglecting their mission, and she knew that was her fault. She felt bad for ignoring Michelle for the most part, she hasn't been feeling up to it, even less so lately.  
Turning the paper over, she picks up the pen.

'_Michelle, I'm going to visit Anthony, and then I'm going for a drive. I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, we'll talk about it soon.  
__If I'm not home before you, you don't have to wait up._'

No need to leave her name, no one else lives with them. She picked up her keys and flew out the door.  
Feeling the wind on her face was refreshing, she needed it. Though she's been out a few times this week, she felt more relaxed today. Why, no idea, but why not just go with it?  
Pulling into Anthony's garage, she sees her friend has some company. He turns to her. "I just fixed her up last week, you've busted it up again?!"  
Amara smiles, shaking her head. "I just figured I'd stop by to say hello." She walks over to her friend, and looks at the girl next to him. She was cute, but nothing Amara hadn't seen before. Short brown hair, green eyes that were nowhere near as deep as Amara's, and a lightly tanned skin. They smiled at each other, Erin blushes.  
"Amara, this is my sister Erin. Erin, this is Amara, my friend I've told you about."  
"Oh!" squeaks Erin, "Yeah! I've heard all about you." Her voice makes Amara cringe. How old was this girl, with a voice like a three year old? The annoyance of this girl was already getting to her. Looking towards Anthony, she asks, "So, how are things? How are you?"  
Anthony nods, tidying up his shop as Amara follows. Erin stays behind, sitting in a chair by the entrance of the shop. "I've been great, the shop is getting a lot of business, things are working out really great for me," he turns and smiles at her, "how have you been doing? Haven't really seen you around. I take it the car is running nicely?"  
"She's running beautifully, better than ever and I can't thank you enough. I'm glad things are going well, you deserve it all."  
Anthony shrugs. "I'm glad the car is great, are you sure you're great though? You seem kinda out of it today."  
Amara smirks, surprised at how well Anthony could read her. Was it that obvious? Though she did feel better today than she has been recently, she still felt a little down. She didn't know she was feeling _so_ down that people could see it, though.  
"I'm alright, I've just been feeling a little lonely."  
"Lonely? You're with Michelle every chance I see you! Plus, I thought the apple of your eye was your car."  
"Oh, it is," Amara looks at her gorgeous convertible and beams. "And, yeah, Michelle is there. But that's not really what I'm talking about."

Anthony blushes. "Oh.._that_ kind of lonely.. Well, I don't really know what to say, Amara, I'm sorry."  
Amara knew Anthony would be flustered at this subject. She never brings up stuff like that. She's the cold, emotionless Amara Tenoh, who talks about cars and racing and andrenaline, nothing else. No feelings, no care. So, since this topic never came up between her and the mechanic, she knew it would be awkward.  
"It's not a big worry, and I love my car more than anything. Thanks for fixin' her up," she started walking towards her car, "I'll see you later. Bye, Anthony, bye Erin."  
"Bye Amara!" they both chirped at once, showing their relative.

She jumped in the car and sped out as fast as she could. Maybe visiting Anthony wasn't the best idea, but at least she had some company for a little while.  
Knowing Michelle would be at the shoreline, she avoided it, heading towards the center of the city. Before going on her drive, maybe some lunch would be a good idea.

Michelle stood in the sand, letting the water swallow her feet. She could feel something was happening, not the feeling she had when they first came to this town. Something different. Something that had nothing to do with the heart snatchers.

Amara walked into the coffee shop, eager to fill her stomach with somthing good. After ordering her food, she stepped aside and watched the sights outside, watched everyone walking by her car parked outside the shop. Her heart filled with pride when people stopped to look, to admire the interior, to see the way the blue paint on the outside sparkled and shone bright in the sun.  
She had put so much effort into that car, and loved it. Though she's driven plenty of cars, this one really makes her feel perfect when she's inside. Of course, all cars make her feel right, because she knew in her heart that she belonged behind the wheel of a car. That was where she was meant to be.  
But that car, it just felt like home.

"Order up!" the waitress said, and Amara grabbed her sandwich. Sitting down, she almost couldn't eat because she was admiring her own gorgeous car.  
And her eyes went from her, car, the the cars that passed, to the cars parked in the street, to the signs on the street, to the shops, to the people inside the shops, and then the people out. It was strange, because she had never taken the time to actually examine each and every thing before. Especially not the people. She just never had to time to look at the people or things that surrounded her, she was always so busy doing other things.  
But, now, right now, it was like she couldn't take her eyes off the different characters that passed the window. Tall men, short men, women with children. Fat women with pets, single women with shopping bags. Couples holding hands, couples with linked arms, some couples you could tell were obviously so in love, whereas some couples looked like they didn't care for each other at all.. Amara could only pretend she knew what was going through their minds, and wonder if they were doing the same once they caught eyes with her. And, watching them, wished she could be as blissful as them, not knowing what was going on in the bigger world around them. It was almost amazing what most people didn't know. And to think, once, Amara was one of them.  
But things were different now. She and fate met and her path of life was revealed. Since then, she could no longer be carefree and innocent the way she once was. She had serious things to think about. She had a whole world to save.  
At the same time, even though she knew she had a duty, she wanted to give it up. Leave it all behind, if she only had a reason. Wanting to be some race car driver was a stupid reason to give up the path she knew was her's. Not that she could think of any reason to abandon the protection of the world, but she wanted to. More than anything. She was so sick of this stupid mission, all of this nonsense with Michelle. It was getting old. Why her? Why was she chosen? Why did she have to be "Sailor Uranus"?  
There were plenty of other women out there, she's looking at them now. Why couldn't they trade destinies with her?  
Taking the last bite of her sandwich, she stood up, and put her plate in the wash bin. Walking out, she tried to figure out where she could possibly go next, seeing as she was obviously avoiding going for a drive. She knew that, if she went, there was a possibility she wouldn't come back.  
She couldn't abandon her responsibility.

There was an art hall down the street; that's where she would go. Maybe looking at Michelle's paintings could help ease her mind.  
She would never have a talent like Michelle's. Michelle was so perfect in every way; her innocent beauty was unmatched, she was amazing at violin and a gifted painter. She had a level head and kept her mind focused.  
Amara had none of that. Amara was nothing compared to Michelle and she knew it. She felt it in her heart. The heart that was so void of anything aside from assurance that she would be nothing in life but some Sailor Soldier, that in the end she would mean nothing because no one knew her name. No one cherished her. And, sure, she had Michelle, but that didn't count. The girls she had met at the arcade barely counted as friends, and they only stuck around because they thought she was an attractive boy. What did she have now, who did she have? No one. No family, no friends. No reason to even be alive if it weren't for knowing that she had to assist Michelle in this supposed world-saving journey.

Before she even stepped foot in the hall, she could hear the sound coming from inside. The grand piano, that she knew was in the center of the floor, was being played. Being played in such a way that she's never heard before. It was like every emotion of the song was coming through, every emotion she's never heard through song.  
Yes, Michelle was a musician, and yes she played beautifully.. but never like this. This was so heartfelt and warm, but so lonely at the same time. Every note that was struck translated Amara's feelings into music. Amara was almost too caught up in it all to even step inside.

She was more in awe after she stepped inside.  
Of course, as soon as she stepped into the hall, her eyes went straight to the piano, straight to the source of the song of her heart. And then everything froze.

There's a girl sitting at the piano. Just one, simple girl. With her eyes closed, her fingers dancing across the keys, knowing exactly where they were supposed to go at exactly the right time. Sitting at the piano.  
The most beautiful girl to ever exist. Even more beautiful than Michelle could ever be. Her hair, much longer than Michelle's, was the darkest black Amara had ever seen, but still so much brighter than the sun. Her skin, a gorgeous porcelain, a porcelain Michelle's skin would never know, looks so fragile, yet so powerful at the same time.  
She had the loudest voice in the room without even opening her mouth. Amara stood, staring in awe. How did this one girl, this stranger, instantly capture her heart through song? It was almost like this girl knew Amara, maybe even better than Amara thought she knew herself. Of course, that's not logical, but the sound of the piano, of this stranger's song, almost brought what felt like magic to Amara's heart.  
The song was filled with hope, with happiness and anger at the same time. It was so full of sadness that half the people in the room listening were in tears. It was as if the song was telling a story, of a soul, of Amara, of a heart that was hurting so badly for love, but so hopeful for life, like even through all the pain there was still that glimmer of freedom and fun. A story of Amara.  
Staring at this beautiful girl, this feeling came over Amara, a feeling that never existed in her before, a feeling of warmth. Of completion, almost.  
She had to meet her. She had to meet this girl who put her life into a song. The most beautiful girl she's ever seen.


	3. Omnious Tides

She couldn't move. All she could do was stand and watch as her heart wept, yearning in tune with the sound.  
Music was always inspiring. Always like magic to Amara's ears, though she could play piano, and loved it, she could never play as gracefully as this girl. And standing there, in the opening of the hall, behind the crowd, it almost felt like she could melt. As if she could run away and no one would ever know. Run away, and live her life, just speed out of town and follow her dreams.  
And, suddenly, unexpectedly, the girl stopped playing. As if the song was almost written to end in order to leave in you in suspense.

The crowd began to applaud as the pianist stood. She was so small, like a tiny ant in a sea of grass. So small, and so perfect. Amara smiled, and looked around at the people in the hall. People who weren't even paying attention, as if the music was nothing but a backdrop of sounds to the paintings on the walls, as if the music wasn't just as much art. Amara walked around while the chatter in the room began, she knew it was all focused around that girl. In her mind, she shook her head. It was pointless to, even sometimes, dream of getting away. Of an escape. It's just not going to happen. The mission with Michelle is the most important thing, the only thing that could be focused on. No distractions. None.  
Walking deeper into the gallery, and further from the crowd, it began to get quiet, as Amara prefers. The less people, the better, the lesser chance of meeting people, of making connections, or friends. Less of a chance to want to throw her mission aside and have a real life, leaving her soldier alter ego behind.  
Though, lately, it almost felt like her real self, Amara Tenoh, was the alter ego. Being a sailor soldier had taken over so much of her life that it was almost all she knew. After all, what was the point of creating a sense of self other than Sailor Uranus? There was none, her only reason in life was to be a scout and to find the purest heart crystals. So, Amara Tenoh didn't really matter, not really. The name, the body, was like a shell, a fake identity, the outside of something that no one will ever even know.

And, after walking for what seemed for forever, she came upon what she had come for.  
The most fabulous paintings ever imaginable. Fields and oceans of blues and greens, seas and seas of unimaginable depths. Depths that identified with Amara's thoughts.  
Her thoughts that were deeper than the sea.  
Michelle was an amazing painter. She was amazing at everything.  
"Beautiful, aren't they?"  
Amara whipped around. And there she was.  
The girl. The pianist. The raven-haired goddess. Looking right at her; right at Amara. Her bright eyes the color of pine, a green beyond Amara's. Like getting lost in a forrest, almost more magical than the music she makes.  
Amara's throat caught, but it didn't matter. The girl, walking closer to the paintings, kept talking. "They're so intricate, so dreamy.."  
Amara didn't know what to say. What was happening? Was this for real? Was this girl really here, in front of her? What happened to the huge crowd around her, was she not busy talking with them?  
Her mind racing, she nods. If she couldn't speak, she might as well contribute to conversation in another way.  
"Every time I look at them," the girl kept going, "I feel like I'm falling into a daydream or something." she chuckled lightly, looking back at Amara. "What do you think?"  
'_What do I think?_' Amara said to herself, '_I think you're the most exquisite woman on the planet. I'm trying to think of a reason why you're here with me right now, why you're talking to me, where you came from.. and why me. I think I'd like to whisk you away and just look at your for hours.._'  
"Uh.. yeah." Amara finally pushes out. "My friend painted them."  
The girls eyebrows go up. "Oh, wow! You're so lucky, she's so lucky to have such talent. I wish I was artistic enough to paint like that."  
Amara's puzzled. "But.. you _are_ an artist.. I just saw you playing the piano in the front hall."  
Smiling, the girl blushes. "I know, I saw you there. But, that's not what I meant.. I don't think that just because I can push some keys I'm an artist. Painters, they just.. they have something in them that they bring out onto a canvas, that they can _show_ people their emotions.."  
Amara shook her head. Was she joking? Being a musician wasn't being an artist? Just because she draw her music as a picture?  
"You show your emotions. Through your music."  
The girl sighs, and blinks slowly. "That's just not how I see it."  
"Well, you're seeing things wrong."  
The girl looks up at Amara, eyebrows furrowed, taken aback. "Excuse me? And who are you to say?" Amara could hear the irritation in her voice, and immediately regretted blurting without thinking about what she was saying to this petite doll. She may have just ruined everything by being brash, even in the least bit.  
"I- I'm sorry," maybe apologizing would make things better? "It's just that, your music is just as beautiful as any painting.." she looked toward the floor.  
Cocking her head, the girl smiled slightly. "You know, for someone who stared at me for minutes on end earlier, you've barely been able to look me in the eye since I got here."  
What was she doing? How did she see Amara staring at her, even from across the entire room?  
"Don't think I'm too strange," the girl continued, making her way further down the hall, "I saw you walk in. It's refreshing to see a new face."  
"Have you.. seen all of those people before?"  
The girl nods. "Yes, unfortunately." She stops to look at more paintings. "Even though I appreciate them all, no one new has really come to hear me play lately. So, when I saw you walk in.." she trailed off, walking further away. Amara followed slowly, trying not to seem too eager, as she was. For such a small girl, her prescence was felt so strongly. Her opinion of herself made Amara's heart cry. Such an amazing pianist, does she not even realize? And still the question remained, why did she follow Amara here?

"You have amazing talent." Amara said quietly. The girl looked over, smiling shyly, blushing. Their eyes met and Amara could feel her cheeks warm; she looked down. The girl went back to looking at the paintings. "Thanks."  
"I'm serious." She put herself literally inches away from the girl, and was able to get a better look at her than before. Her skin was even more delicate looking up close, and her hair even darker than from afar. She was easily almost a foot shorter than Amara, so small she could be confused for a child if not for her blatantly feminine details. Her flawless feminine features.  
She was making Amara so nervous without even doing anything. Just the way she was standing there made Amara's heart race. Her beauty was so innocent and humbled, an innocent Amara has never known. Why would a girl with talent, with any reason to have a life, seek her out? Looking at her long dark hair made Amara want to reach out and touch it, not in a tainted way, just to steal a piece of this girl's innocence, just to feel naive for one moment, if that was even possible..  
The attitude she had about her, like she knew she was beautiful but regretted it. She didn't let anything good about herself get to her head. Her perfect little head, with those round, jade eyes that grew brighter with every blink. Her petite nose, proportionate to the rest of her, sitting there smug in the middle of her face. Her slightly flushed cheeks, color still remained from the eye contact that resulted in a blush, was sprinkled lightly with barely noticeable freckles you wouldn't see unless standing less than a foot away.  
And that soft, tiny mouth, pink and pursed, it made Amara's own mouth water. She was perfect. Everything about her was perfect, there was no doubt about it.  
Amara was enraptured by her looks alone.  
"Who.. are you?" she murmurs unintentionally. As soon as she let the words slip, she wished she could suck them back into her mouth and swallow them. Could she be anymore blatantly caught up by this girl?  
The fair-skinned belle looks up, at her, their eyes meeting direct for the third time, holding longer than a minute for the second. This time, no blushing was involved.  
"Kana."

A small, simple name for a small, not-so-seemingly-simple girl. Though, she could be simple, maybe Amara was overanalyzing this entire situation; overanalyzing her. The little nymph had a name. There was a name for such perfection. Kana.  
"Cute," Amara says, trying to snap herself out of the infatuation that had taken over her, looking away. What was she doing? Why was she acting like this? This was just another girl, just another person, no one special. Time to act like normal Amara, no more ga ga eyes, stuttering nonsense Amara.  
Kana shrugged. "I guess.." she begins walking away from Amara again, this time, Amara didn't follow. The girl looks back, a hint of confusion on her face, but didn't let it show for long.  
What did she think? That Amara was going to play some sort of cat and mouse game with her? Who did she make Amara out to be, some sort of fool?  
Amara was no fool, and chases nobody. She had no reason to exert any sort of energy in anyone, especially some random girl.  
Her heart sinks. Was that what this girl was doing this entire time, playing some game? Trying to intentionally make Amara interested in her? Was that the kind of girl she was? If so, Amara was so wrong about her. Every good thought Amara had in her head about this girl, about her heart, flew out the window sadly. What a let down, thinking this person was different, that she knew what was in Amara, that she could relate to how she felt.. when it was a front.

Suddenly Amara no longer wants to be in this girl's prescence. Just the look of her has begun to churn Amara's stomach into disgusted knots. Apparently Amara wasn't as good at reading people as she had thought. To think this girl had been innocent and potentially sweet when in fact she was just trying to sweep Amara up into her trap, for what? What was she trying to accomplish? Completely take Amara's breath away? Check. Make Amara think they had something in common? Check. Completely break Amara's heart within moments of knowing each other? Check. Amara turns around, and starts walking away.  
"Are you leaving..?" the girl asks, sounding more like a disappointed child than a manipulative heartbreaker. Amara shrugs, not bothering to look back, but stops walking. She looks to her left, but not at Kana.  
"I don't see a reason to stick around any longer."  
"Excuse me?" Kana spits, appalled. Amara turns and looks at her, and her heart drops. The look on this tiny girl's face could easily be the most saddening mix of hurt and anger Amara has seen directed at her. Keeping her composure, Amara responds just as matter-of-factly.  
"I don't see any reason to stay here."  
Kana furrows her eyebrows in confusion, and the look in her eyes turns from mostly hurt to mostly rage. "So, we're just in the middle of a conversation, yet there's no reason for you to stay?"  
Amara nods, shrugging. "Yeah."  
"Is that how you treat everyone you come in contact with? Just up and go and insult them at the same time?"  
"No, not all the time." Amara was almost finding pleasure in seeing this girl get angrier and angrier. '_Payback. You toy with me, I toy with you._'  
"Well then, no wonder why you're here _alone._"  
That one took Amara by surprise; completely unexpected. Was her loneliness that easy to read? And who was this random girl to say things like that to _her_? And who was this said girl to say things like that, after completely trying to mess with her head?  
Amara chuckled, trying to act like what had been said didn't even phase her. "You're here alone too, what's that say about you? At least I don't go around targetting random strangers to fill up my time." she turned around and walked away, leaving the girl in the gallery, that perfect mouth open slightly in shock at what had been thrown at her.

Amara walked through the drizzling rain back to her car. She had spent more time in the gallery, with that girl, with Kana, than she had thought. It was completely dark outside, it must have been at least 8pm.  
As she got to her car, her heart dropped for the second time tonight.  
"Shit!" she shouted, forgetting the convertible's top had been down all day. The interior was soaked. She opened the door, and flopped into the water-filled seat. She could feel the cold liquid seep into the back of her already wet shirt and pants. She leaned her head back against the headrest and let the rain hit her in the face, using it to wake herself up. What had just happened, was that even real? That pianist, the girl. Kana, that was her name, right?  
Did she make tonight up in her head? Because that's what it felt like. Like tonight didn't actually happen, and she wishes it hadn't. Or, well, she wishes it didn't end the way it did. Wishes Kana didn't turn out to be some manipulative bitch, out to snatch her heart, or something.

She fights heart snatchers as Sailor Uranus, in her other life. She didn't need it in this life too.  
She started the car up, and put the top up, shielding her finally from the cold rain. She turned on the heat, trying to dry the car's insides somehow, as well as warm herself up. Not only did she feel physically cold, but her insides felt colder than ice. These terrible experiences she keeps having with people has slowly turned her heart cold, has pushed her away from genuinely wanting to open herself up to someone real.  
She sat with the keys in the ignition, not wanting to move just yet, instead choosing to wallow in her sorrows. Wishing she could pretend like tonight didn't happen, she closes her eyes, and sighs. Kana was easily the most beautiful girl she had ever seen, and it was ruined.  
She was supposed to be different. She was supposed to be special.  
Her song was so genuine, so full of everything that Amara's heart yearned for and felt.. it was supposed to be right. She was supposed to be right.  
She should stop focusing on things like girls. She has a world to save, remember? That should be the main focus at all times. No moping because some random girl had tried using her for who knows what, more determination on the task at hand.

There really is no other option.


	4. Spitting Rapids

'_She was so beautiful.._'

She sits up in bed, the full moon shining bright outside her window. That girl from the gallery has been on her mind all night. Picking up her mug of tea, she puts it to her lips and drinks, her eyes still locked on the moon.

'_The way she looked at me.._'

That girl was perfect. Her voice, her body, her burning eyes. Those eyes that made her blush. What went wrong tonight?

The bottom of the mug came as a slurp to her mouth. She stands up and walks into the kitchen, the moon shining down through every window, illuminating the entire room like a spotlight. She places it quietly in the sink and walks to a window, staring outside, her mind going wild, just like she was for that girl. How could she have done that? What was wrong with her, talking like that?

'_That's what I get for putting myself out there for someone.._'

The moon seemed to frown at her, like it had a face, a life of it's own, as if it knew her night had turned out an awful one, and sympathized with her. It sparkled brightly tonight, almost as if to say, "Cheer up, there are more beautiful things in life. Like me."

"_She_ was beautiful."

It was like that one girl was the one girl that had been worth waiting for. In that instant of meeting her, something clicked, something inside them both knew, and could feel, something familiar. Something nice. But, at the same time, everything was awkward and game-like. Why had it been like that? Why couldn't they have done what they both wanted to do? It was obvious they were both into each other. But was it worth that? Was she worth wasting like all the other girls prior? If she had really been the one worth waiting for.. then maybe it was good things went sour. Maybe there was a chance to rekindle that initial spark, maybe things didn't have to turn out so bad.

That is, _if_ they ever meet again. There was no way to find her.

She doesn't even know her name.

"If I do see you again.." Kana spoke to the moon, "Things are going to be different. I won't let you walk out on me."

She turns and walks back to her bedroom, and flops down onto her large, plush bed. Her white sheets surround her, and she takes her arms and pulls them over her. She closes her eyes and her imagination goes off, and she envisions the girl next to her. Her short, messy blonde hair, those gorgeous high cheekbones.. those beautiful, soul-piercing eyes, the deepest green to ever exist. Kana could get lost in them forever. She touches Kana's cheek, pushing back a strand of hair.

"Why did you leave me?" Kana whispers, and falls asleep.

* * *

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You're up early." Michelle says, pouring herself a cup of tea. She sits at the kitchen table, across from Amara, and smiles at her sweetly. Amara nods.

"Anything wrong?" asks Michelle. Amara hasn't spoken to her much in days. There was obviously so much on her mind, and usually Michelle's the first one she goes to.. but for whatever reason, for reasons Michelle couldn't even imagine, she barely even says hello.

"No, I'm fine. Why do you keep asking?"

This whole thing with Michelle was getting annoying. First she says Amara should be open, make friends, follow her dreams. But once Amara wants to, and tries, Michelle tells her she needs to focus more on their mission. It was getting to be a chore just having a normal conversation because they had completely different opinions on everything. This was what tore them apart in the first place, and if it weren't for their mission, Amara probably would have nothing to do with her. After what Michelle has put her through in the past, she honestly would love to part with her sometimes. Even though deep down, Michelle meant the world to her, and she would die for her, Michelle bothered her to no end. When you spend all your time with a person, they can get to be bothersome. That was more than definitely the case when it came to Michelle.

"You don't talk to me anymore, Amara.." she said quietly, almost afraid of the answer. Avoiding eye contact, she wonders if she really even wants to know why Amara had been avoiding her. There must be a ton of reasons.

Amara looks up at her, and stares at her eyes. Michelle is still avoiding hers, and looks down at her cup.

"Amara, the seas have been really rough lately.. something big is going to happen and I feel our lack of communication is going to catch up to us soon.."

Amara takes a quick sip of her coffee, and looks back at Michelle again. Still no eye contact. They sit in silence for a few minutes before Amara finally breaks.

"I met someone."

Michelle looks up, their eyes meeting for the first time.

The look in Michelle's eyes is almost satisfying. The shock was apparent, and so was the hurt. But, most of what shows through most was the jealousy. And that was what made Amara's heart smile. After all those times Michelle had turned her down, after all those talks about not believing in love, about only believing in their mission, how does it feel now? How does it feel not to be number one?

"Excuse me?"

"I met someone."

"Like.. a friend, who?"

"A girl."

Michelle didn't know what to say. A girl? What? When? Where? What about her? What about them? What about their mission, or their friendship, or anything they had ever had together? Was she overreacting to this..? What did that mean, she met someone..?

She pushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Is that was this is all about?"

There was no way Amara could know all the things being felt. It wasn't important in the long run. And, though Amara was important, feelings weren't, their mission was. Letting emotions, jealousy, happiness, love, any of that, get in the way was stupid.

Amara shrugs. "Not really. But yes."

"You're not making much sense, Amara."

"Since when does anything we do make sense?"

"Well, never, but that just doesn't make sense. Not really, but yes?"

Amara stands up, taking her cup. She towers over Michelle, looking down at her.

"I don't have to tell you everything."

She walks over to the sink and places her cup inside. Michelle stands up and follows her over, blocking her path out of the kitchen. Amara looks at her, puzzled, but unamused. "What are you doing, Michelle?"

Their eyes meet, and the war begins.

"Amara, this is going to tear us apart and you know it. Is that what your trying to do? You can't do that. You can't just stop speaking to me, and then tell me you just...met someone and expect I don't want an explanation. You met someone, that's it? No."

"Uh, yes." she tries walking around Michelle, but Michelle steps in her way, blocking her again.

"Amara this isn't some joke. Are you even thinking about how this would affect our mission at all?"

"Is that all you think about?!" Amara shouts, taking Michelle aback. She stops moving, and their eyes continue the battling, trying to out-anger each other like a competition.

Amara speaks again, engraged, finally letting her emotions go. "All you do is think about our mission, talk about our mission. It has consumed you Michelle, I don't even know you. You can't manage to go one minute without talking about it or making sure I'm thinking about it. I think about it all the time Michelle, just so you know, you don't have to remind me like I'm some child. It may not bother you that we have no lives, but it bothers me. You don't allow me to have a life. You remind me every day that there is nothing out there for me except for this mission and I can't stand it. I met someone a few days ago and it didn't work out, but for a few hours of one day, I felt free. And for those few hours I didn't even think of our mission, or you, for the first time since you and I have met. You don't know how amazing it was."

Michelle stood there, speechless. Her heart broke with every word that left Amara's mouth. That's really what she thinks, that the only important thing was the mission? Yes, it was important, and yes it was the first priority, and should be for them both, but they can have lives.. and it's not on her mind twenty-four seven, she thinks of other things.. she thinks of Amara. And.. she _likes_ not thinking about her and the mission..?

She doesn't like thinking about her?

How could she feel any different about someone else, something she doesn't feel with Michelle?

"What.. am I to you?" she finally stammered out. Amara furrowed her eyebrows, looked to the floor, and sighed. "You are my partner, Michelle. You're Neptune and I am Uranus. And that's all we ever will be."

Without answering, Michelle turns around and walks out of the house, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

"Two scoop strawberry, please." Kana asks, and watches as the lady behind the counter digs the ice cream scoop into the large bin of pink. Plopping two heaps onto a cone, she hands it to Kana and pushes a few buttons on the cash register. Kana pays the difference and walks out the door.

Standing on the sidewalk, she begins walking toward the park. The weather was beautiful today and the park was the best place to sit peacefully.

Her ice cream cone was huge, and Kana was excited. She had ice cream once a week as a treat for herself. Strawberry was always her favorite, ever since she was little. She never had anything different.

The sun was beaming, and seemed to intentionally be directing it's rays onto her cone. She struggled to lick up the melting liquid while walking. Luckily, the park was only a few blocks away.

She felt the mess ooze onto her hand, and quickly switched the cone from her right to left hand, watching herself to make sure she didn't drop it. About to wipe her hand on her leg, she slams right into a pole. Her ice cream goes all over it, and she falls backwards onto the ground.

"Damnit!" she says, at the same time as someone else. She looks up and her heart drops. It wasn't a pole she had walked into.

It was her.

The blonde haired girl. The girl from the gallery, the one she'd been dreaming of.

The one that insulted her. The one that got away.

She stood up as fast as she could, winded. The white button-up of the blonde was covered in chunky, pink mush. The cone itself was on the ground.

Amara looked down at her shirt, disgusted. This was her favorite white shirt. Pink ice cream? Seriously? Just her luck. Who was this clutz who doesn't watch where they walk down the middle of the sidewalk? She looks up from her chest to inspect.

Oh, shit.

"Hi." Kana said, trying not to seem too happy to see her.

"Hi." Amara said, thoroughly disgusted. She started to walk around the girl, leaving. "Bye."

Not even realizing what she's doing, Kana quickly grabs her wrist as she walks by, but gets pulled forward by Amara's surprising strength. Amara gets turned around just as Kana falls into her. Again.

"Get off me!" Amara pushed her off. "What are you doing!"

Kana crosses her arms. "I was _going_ to apologize, but not if you're going to act like _that_."  
"Good!" Amara turns and begins walking away again.

'_What do I do, what do I do?_' Kana starts to panic. She may never see this girl again. She walked away once, and Kana had vowed not to let her walk away again. After making a fool out of herself twice already, what could she do? Was there even a reason to bother? Was there anything she could do at this point to make herself _not_ look like a total ass?

Then again, she has already made a fool out of herself twice. What else did she have to lose?

"Why did you walk away from me at the gallery?" she shouted, loud enough for Amara to hear her. She turned around, looking back at Kana. There was at least fifty feet separating them.

Did she really have to scream like that? To get the attention of everyone on the street? Now they both looked dumb. Any chance of Amara had of having any dignity left after the ice cream ordeal just flew out the window. Here was some little girl, screaming at an outrageously tall girl who had pink ice cream stained all over her white shirt, in the middle of town, like a maniac. As if they knew each other or something, which they didn't. But there was no way to tell everyone on the street that. Everyone probably thought they were both lunatics at this point.

Amara just turned around and continued walking away.

Kana didn't follow, and let her leave again.

* * *

Luckily for Amara, she always kept a change of clothes in the trunk of her car. She grabs her cream pull-over blouse and jumps into her car, top up. She ducks low and quickly unbottons her shirt, and throws the blouse on, looking around to make sure no one saw her. No one was even around. She sighs.

'_That girl!_' she said to herself, flustered. '_Out of all the people I didn't want to see. It's like I can't escape her._'

She opens the door and gets out, and starts walking downtown, to the arcade. Maybe those girls from the other day will be around to amuse her.

The people she passes fascinate her. Tall, short, fat, skinny. Beautiful. Extremely beautiful. And they all have lives. Lives that they live, goals, hopes and dreams for their futures.

But she didn't. She didn't have a life, she didn't have hopes or dreams. This mission was really getting to her. She was starting to feel the Earth's unsettled vibrations; they were getting worse every day that passed. Something bad was coming fast and she couldn't deny it anymore. She had been putting off finding the pure heart crystal holders so she could feel like an actual human being, but it was starting to backfire on her. She made Michelle upset, ultimately upsetting herself. She ran into that girl again, something she didn't want to happen. That girl was so amazing at first, and then they met, and it all went downhill. Why? Was this Amara's karma biting her in the ass for not doing what she is supposed to be doing? For not being focused?

She could hear the voices before the sliding doors even opened. Those girls were here.

As soon as she steps inside, the three girls stop talking to Andrew and look over, the two blondes leap up when they see who it is.  
"Amara!" Serena says, excited, "Hey!"  
Amara smiles, knowing she'd get the attention she was craving by coming here. She needed to feel important, to feel above someone, idolized. And these girls did just that. They drooled over her every move.  
She loved it.  
"Hey Serena. Hi Mina. How are you guys?"  
Mina blushes when spoken to. "We're great thanks! How are you?"  
Amara shrugs, walking to the counter. "Hi, Andrew."  
"Hi Amara. Haven't seen you or Michelle around lately."  
"Yeah, we've got other stuff on our plates at the moment."  
"Do you go to school?" pipes in the blue haired girl. Amara tilts her head. "And you are?"  
The blue haired girl blushes, and the two blonde grab her by the shoulders.  
"This is our friend Amy." says Mina.  
"She loves school!" Serena points out. "Ignore her questions about smartypants stuff!"  
Amara laughs. These girls were funny. Definitely taking her mind off that dumb girl from the gallery. What was her name again?  
"Oh, Serena, I was just asking!" Amy says flustered. "Trying to make conversation. It's a pleasure to meet you Amara."  
Amara nods. "You as well." She turns to Mina. "Care for a race?"

Mina couldn't say no to the challenge. After all, ever since the last time, she had been practicing almost every day. She was ready for Amara this time, and wasn't about to lose. She wouldn't be humiliated twice at her favorite game.  
They take their seats at the machine, in the same spots as the first race they had. The girls and Andrew crowd around them to watch. Serena gulps, worried that if Mina loses again, she'll make her play that game every day for practice. Hopefully this time, Amara messes up and fails. No one else seems to notice Serena's anxiety, instead they're focused on the screens. Amara chooses the yellow car, Mina the red.  
The practicing has got to pay off today, or she'll be in here every day until it does.  
The numbers flash on the screen.  
3. 2. 1. Go!  
Amara doesn't give Mina a head start this time. Her car speeds ahead, leaving Mina behind. Mina steps on the pedal, increasing her KPM. 260, 270, 280. Her eyes focused on the screen, she can see Amara's car in the near distance. Her foot steadies on the pedal.  
Amara smiles. She was going easy on Mina, she had no idea. It was adorable in a way, in a naive, innocent way. It made Amara happy. Their cars were neck and neck, but Amara steps down a little more on the pedal and goes flying away. No more playing nice.  
Her KPM shoots up to 360kpm, and she laps Mina like last time. Mina's heart, drops to the floor, along with everyone else's jaws, aside from Serena. She slaps her head, moaning. "Not again!"  
Amara wins the race, WINNER flashes on her screen. GAME OVER flashes on the heartbroken Mina's. She sits there frowning as Amara chuckles. "Maybe next time, just keep practicing."  
"No! No more practicing!" Serena shouts. Mina stands. "I will! I'll keep practicing Amara, so someday soon I can beat you!"  
"Noooo!" Serena wails, "No one can beat her!"  
"I bet I can."  
They all turn to see where the unfamiliar voice came from.  
Amara's heart sank. Seriously? Was she being followed? This was getting ridiculous, she was having a great time with these girls (and Andrew), and it is just ruined within a second.  
Kana walks towards them, eyes locked on Amara's. Amara's eyebrows furrow, her eyes glaring into the emeralds of the annoying doll headed her way. She stands. "Is this a joke?"  
Kana stops in front of her, about a foot away. "Does it look like a joke?"  
"If you're referring to yourself, yes."

Everyone looks on, puzzled, as the two bicker back and forth. This girl, that no one's seen, was gorgeous. Hair darker than the night, eyes more green than the grass in Spring. Did she and Amara know each other?

"Are you following me?"  
"Why would I follow you? I don't even know you."  
"Well, you've managed to be where I am twice in one day. You tell me."  
Kana crosses her arms. "I haven't got any reason to FOLLOW you, you're a stranger, you're nothing special to me. I asked for a race. Do you accept, or are you too scared?"

This girl's attitude was annoying and exhilarating at the same time. Her tongue was quick, and everything she said was clever. Amara was starting to realize why she's been on her mind since that night. And, at this close distance, she could see the beauty that made her so caught up in her in the first place.  
"Scared? Of you? Bring it on."

Mina got out of the way, Kana smiling at her as she sat down. Amara resumed position in her seat, and she put coins in her machine slot. Not knowing why, she went to put coins in Kana's machine, and their hands touched at the coin slot, making them both blush briefly before Kana removed her hand The electricity between them, good or bad, was undeniable. They looked at each other, and Kana smiled slighty. "What a lady."  
Amara sneered. "A lady? Please. I was just making sure you had your money at the end of this, since your pride will be gone."  
Kana looks back at her screen, smiling. Whoever this girl was, she hadn't walked away yet, and that's all she needed. She put her coins back in her pocket as the game started up. She chose the black car, and Amara chose the yellow once more.  
The numbers blink on the screen.  
3. 2. 1. Go!  
And they're off. Both their right feet slam onto the pedal, their cars shooting into the center off the screen. They stay right next to each other, through every curve and turn of the track. Lap one comes and goes, still neck and neck. Amara smirks, knowing she had yet to step down all the way on her pedal. She still wasn't at her best yet. This girl had no idea what was coming to her. Trying to make Amara look like a fool? As if that would ever happen. Racing was Amara's forte and everyone knew it. She lived it, she breathed it, when she was allowed. She glimpses over at Kana and sees those little pink lips curled up into the same smirk. It excites her, which disgusts her. This girl followed her here, like some stalker freak. Why? What was she trying to prove? She messed up, not Amara, she was the coniving one, she wasn't the one being used. She made Amara feel like a fool, look like a fool, and now Amara was going to show her exactly what humiliation felt like.  
Everyone stares in awe. These two beautiful people were amazing at this game, made it seem so easy Mina felt uneasy watching them compete against each other like she couldn't. This raven-haired girl was as good as Amara and she wasn't even trying. She made it look effortless, she barely had to try to stay neck-to-neck with Amara. It was ridiculous. Mina was full of envy.

They begin the third and final lap, and Amara smiles fully. She pushes her pedal all the way down. "See ya."  
Her car races ahead, turning a corner. The three standing girls and Andrew all raise their eyebrows, but Kana's smirk just gets larger.  
Her foot slams down her pedal and her car whips around the turn. It flies up the track, passes Amara, and crosses the finish line.  
Amara's jaw drops. She stars at the screen.  
GAME OVER flashes in bright red. She blinks.

Kana stands up, not even bothering to look at Amara. WINNER.  
Mina and Serena are shocked. Did that really just happen? This girl actually just beat Amara?  
"Wow!" Mina says, stars in her eyes. "You're amazing!"  
Kana shakes her head, smiling. "No, not nearly! I'm sure ther's better!"  
Mina shakes her head back, "No! There's really not! You just beat her! Amara! Wow! You're awesome, who are you?"  
Kana laughs, covering her mouth. So Amara was her name.

Even her laugh was flawless. Amara knew it was her without even looking. Her eyes remained on the blinking GAME OVER on her screen. Her first game over. She never lost. Ever. Especially when it came to racing.  
Who was this girl, where did she come from? How did she seriously just beat her? How could she lose? She was supposed to be unbeatable.

"I'm Kana. What's your name? All your names?" she motions to everyone.  
"I'm Serena!" says the blonde who's hair is in two buns. Her pigtails are long. "It's nice to meet you Kana!"  
Kana bows, and looks to the dark blue-haired girl. The girl blushes slightly, almost as if she's embarrassed or something.  
"I'm Amy, pleasure to meet you."  
Mina smiles, extending a hand. Kana shakes it. "Hi, I'm Mina!"  
Andrew steps forward, a goofy grin on his face. "I'm Andrew."  
Kana smiles, looking up at him. "Hi Andrew. It's great meeting you all, but I really should be going. I'm sure I'll see you all again." she glances sideways at Amara, who's eyes are still glued to the screen. Those beautiful green eyes Kana had been dreaming about since that night.  
She begins walking out of the arcade as everyone aside from Amara says their goodbyes.

'_That's what she gets for walking out on me..twice!_' Kana says to herself. '_A little something I call karma. Two can play this game, Amara._'  
"Hey! You!" she hears behind her, and turns around. Who she saw walking quickly toward her took her by absolute surprise.  
That beautiful blonde pixie. Her wispy blonde hair fell into her eyes and quickly blew right out Her eyes squinted slightly to avoid the wind, but the deep greens still shone bright.  
What was she doing?

What was she doing? Amara didn't even know. She rushed out the door faster than she could even say goodbye to the girls and Andrew.  
She was captivated again.

Kana stands firm in the middle of the sidewalk, letting Amara come to her. When she did, they stood there for a moment in an awkward silence, avoiding eye contact.  
Amara hates silence.  
"Why did you follow me here?" she says finally. Her voice, rather than insult, is full of curiosity.  
"I didn't follow you here," Kana says, sounding annoyed. "Stop saying that."  
"Well," Amara shrugs, "you have been in two place I have already today."  
"Well if it bothers you to see me then why don't you walk away like you do best?"  
"What?" Amara's eyebrows shoot up. An attitude already? Maybe she was wrong to come after her.  
"Walking away. Here, I'll show you." Kana turns around and starts to leave. Amara panics. She just chased her out here to talk to her, or something.. why did she even run out here? Was she actually interested? Did she actually care what this girl did or say?  
Yes. Yes yes yes yes.  
This girl just beat her in a race. How did she do it!  
Amara grabs her by her lower arm and pulls lightly, but the girl, lighter than dust, gets yanked back towards her harder than expected.  
"Ow!" Kana shouts, pushing Amara away, "What are you doing!"  
"Don't leave." Amara blurts.  
How embarrassing. Way to make yourself look ridiculously desperate and eager for attention, Amara.

A small smile creeps across Kana's tiny lips. "What?"  
She knew what Amara said. She heard her perfectly clear. She wanted her to say it again. To put herself in a position of vulnerability, for once, to hear again that Amara was interested in her sticking around.  
Amara tried not to blush, and shook it off internally. "Let's go for a drive."  
Kana laughs, covering her mouth. "Haven't you learned anything when it comes to me, you, and cars?"  
Amara smirks, walking ahead without answering. Kana walks next to her, in silence.  
The entire walk back to Amara's car was silent, and though she typically can't stand quiet between two people, Amara was somewhat strangely comforted by the lack of conversation. It wasn't in the least bit awkward. They didn't talk, didn't look at each other, instead silently played follow the leader to the blue convertible. Both their minds raced with similar thoughts, similar fantasies, but neither knew.

'_She is so beyond beautiful_' Kana says to herself. She didn't dare glance up at the pixie beside her. '_I'm so glad she stopped me._'

Arriving at the car, Kana chuckles. The top was still up and the paint was shining like it had just been done.  
"Shouldve figured you'd drive a car like this."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
Kana ignores the question. Amara walks her to the passenger side and opens the door for her. Kana's lips extend into the biggest smile Amara had seen on them so far.  
Those perfect, succulent little lips. Pinker than the ice cream that was all over the shirt in the back seat.  
Saying nothing, Kana got into the car, Amara closing the door behind her. As she walked around to the other side, Kana took the time to quickly inspect the inside, but ended up disappointed. Instead of finding some sort of quirk, she realized the car was void of personality.  
The only thing that showed any sort of character was the stained shirt that had been thrown in the back.  
It took a minute to register that it was the one Amara had been wearing earlier, and that stain was her strawberry ice cream mush. She didn't at the time, but now was starting to feel bad about ruining such a nice shirt.  
A nice shirt that looked amazing on the girl who just got into the driver's seat.

She looks over at the doll to her right. Her grey top is strapless, revealing her shoulders, which had a plethora of tiny light brown freckles, even more than on her cheeks. The shorts she wore left her legs exposed, and for such short legs they looked so elegant there, touching slightly at the knee, one hand in her lap. Her right elbow was leaned against the door, her chin in her palm. She was staring out the window for a full minute before realizing she wasn't paying attention. She blinks herself out of her daydreams and looks at Amara, surprised to find her staring. Their eyes meet and they both involuntarily smile, feeling awkward. They look away and Amara puts the keys in the ignition, turning on the car. She rolls down the windows, puts the top down, and they're off, faster than the wind.


	5. Just A Ride

Amara was flying. The top was down and the weather was beautiful, but the car's speed made the wind strong. Kana's long, jet black hair flew back, whipping around like a black cloud during a storm. Her bangs, usually well behaved across her forehead, were blowing all over. Her mouth was open in a toothy smile, Amara's the same.

Every chance she can, she'll glance over at the goddess in her passenger seat. Her heart swells up everytime she sees her smile.

Those pink lips were screaming fun, screaming freedom. Her smile had not a glimpse of negative emotion, and it made Amara's heart fill with joy. Maybe there was hope for a friendship. Maybe Kana wasn't the girl Amara had thought her to be. This day had been full of ups and downs for the both of them, and it brought them here, together, next to each other in _her_ car. She didn't even complain about how fast they were going, but instead laughed wholeheartedly about it. She wasn't the least bit afraid, like everyone else.

The sun beat down on the both of them, warming their skin. Top down, no music on the radio, wind rushing through them, the road seemed to go on forever. Without speaking a word they were both engulfed in happiness, having someone beside them. They'd gone from strangers, to enemies, to companions all in one day, and thought it baffles them, they weren't about to question it. They were too busy flying.

* * *

As the sun started to inch its way downward the horizon, Amara's speed slows. She began driving casually, softly, slow enough that they could see the scenery that passed. She makes her way up a high hill, and pulls over to the side of road. Kana's hair colapses into a heap upon her naked shoulders, and she brushes a bang from her eye, looking to Amara. Amara turns the car off and takes the keys out of the ignition, opens her door and steps out. Kana follows suit, getting out of the car. She walks over to the other side of the car, where Amara was leaning, staring off into the distance. From the hill you could see down onto the ocean, and the sun had just begun to set. The sky was turning a deep, tropical pink, the clouds a light orange. It was phenomenal.

Kana leans back onto the side of the car as Amara was. She looks at the golden haired girl to her right, and smiles sadly. She could see this girl had a lot on her mind, and a hole in her heart. It was all over her face, and despair lived throughout her beautiful green eyes. You couldnt miss it.

She turns slightly, looks up at her, and says, "Tell me everything."

Amara looks down at this petite girl. Tell her everything? There was so much to tell, so much she wasn't willing to talk about, and so much more that she couldn't.  
She could tell her about Michelle. But she can't say why she and Michelle aren't speaking right now. She can tell her about how empty she feels, how her body is just a shell, but she can't tell her for what  
How could she explain all of this but reveal as little as possible?  
It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to Kana. If she could, shed tell her everything, down to the very last detail. But her mission wasn't to be spoken about to anyone not involved..  
Kana's green eyes blinked, still locked onto her own.

Amara looks back to the horizon, shrugging. "I don't have anybody." she says at last. That essentially was everything, summed up. The biggest reason why she has been so depressed lately. She was lonely. She has no one.  
Well, other than Michelle. But everything they had been through together was tearing them apart, at the same time bringing them closer. As scouts, as Uranus and Neptune, all their encounters with the heart snatchers broadened their experience and knowledge of their mission, but as people.. as friends, or more, it was creating a wall between them.  
So, though Michelle technically counted, she could go unmentioned. For now.

Kana's eyes remain locked on Amara. Her profile was amazing, she had the complexion like no other. She almost looked faked, especially with the sun shining against her face, through her hair. It made her glow.  
"You do now."

The birds chirp and whistle as they both stand in silence. Amara, seemingly unphased by Kana's kind words, was completely melted inside. But, though her heart was weeping, wanting to leap up in joy, her head was telling her to stay calm. Keep a leven head, be reasonable. Don't get too caught up in another pretty face and a sweet line, or your heart will just end up broken again.  
Don't fall for it, Amara.  
Her eyes remain on the horizon, pretending not to take in what Kana said.  
"Thanks." she said curtly.*  
"I mean it." Kana says, and reaches out, putting her hand on Amara's, causing the blonde's body to jump in surprise. She looks down at their hands, and, feeling her face get hot, moves her hand away. Her eyes return to the ocean.  
Kana kept trying. "You may not believe me, Amara, but you don't have to be alone. I'll be your friend."  
"I don't need a friend."  
Kana rolls her eyes. "Are you joking? First of all, you just complained about being lonely-"  
"I'm not complaining," Amara cuts her off, looking her in the face, "just because I don't have anyone, doesn't mean I want someone."  
"Then explain this entire day to me."  
"What?"

Kana crosses her arms. Was Amara playing dumb? The entire day that they just spent cruising the backroads, racing time to the outskirts of town, secretly taking glimpses of each other while thinking the other had no clue.  
She steps forward, putting only a few inches between their bodies. "Don't play dumb with me, Amara."  
"Don't talk to me like that."  
"Like what?"  
"Like a child. Like you know me."  
"Your eyes are like an open book," Kana's tone gets very quiet and low, she speaks softly. "Amara, you don't think I can see you're hurting?"  
"I'm not. So what if I'm lonely? I'm grown, I'll survive."  
"Why, though?" her voice still soft.  
"Why what?"  
Kana shrugs slightly. "Why put yourself through loneliness. Why not find someone? Make friends?"  
"I don't need anyone."  
Kana's shoulders drop, feeling defeated. Why had they come all the way up here? What was the point in spending the time together if she felt no need to get close to anyone? If she didn't want Kana, Kana wasn't going to bother trying to make her want to be friends. There was no point.  
She looks at the sky, leaning back against the convertible; Amara does the same.  
The pinks and oranges have blended together, like wet paint behind the clouds. Beautiful.  
The sun was big and golden yellow, getting larger as it neared the horizon.  
They looked on for what seemed like hours, the sun slowly disappearing behind the water, the sky no longer a tropical painting, but a dusty shade of blue. Stars began to come out from behind the clouds, sparkling brightly. The view from this hills was absolutely incredible.

And then, Kana feels a warm touch at the tips of her fingers.  
Neither of them take their eyes off of the stars as their fingers entwine.

_**I realize this chapter was way shorter than the others, sorry guys, I don't have much time to write as I write at night.  
Not posting anything else until I get some reviews. Have a great day :}**_


	6. Crash

Amara walked in the front door exhilarated. That entire day had turned out better than she could have was as if her whole life had been put on pause, and she was living with time frozen.  
She realized this would not last long as she saw Michelle, anxious at the kitchen table.  
She leapt up. "Amara! Where have you been?"

Amara shrugs, "Out, I guess.." She put her keys on the counter, standing for a moment to look at the girl in front of her.  
"Out? Are you serious? Do you know what could have been happened while I couldn't get ahold of you? What might have happened?"  
Amara shrugs again. "I'm sure if anything serious happened, I would have been able to sense it, Michelle."  
Michelle gawks, taken aback. Did Amara just not care what was happening to them? Did she realize what sort of trouble she is leading their relationship to?  
Michelle shakes her head. "I don't even know what to say to you anymore, Amara. It's like our mission has no importance to you anymore."  
"It doesn't" Amara slipped, and immediately wished she could take her words back.  
Michelle's hand was immediately across Amara's face, the slap echoing through the house.

Amara didn't move. Her eyes locked with Michelle's, she had no words. After everything they had done together, after everything Michelle had put her through, made her do, made her feel, this is what she thinks is deserved? A slap across the face.  
Of course Amara didn't really feel that their mission to retrieve the pure heart crystals wasn't important. It was; it was all she knew. But after that day, after meeting someone real, after living a real day as a normal person, she wished even more she could just give up her objective. Wished she could take Michelle away from it, too, and be able to be happy, be able to live normal lives, not as sailor scouts, but as human beings. Get normal jobs, do normal day-to-day things. Go out once in a while when they felt like it.

Neither of them were truly happy with their lives, but they wouldn't ever admit it to each other. When they tried to, this is what happens.

"Wake up Amara," Michelle said, monotoned. "You are _nothing_ without this mission. This is your destiny. You have _no_ _choice_. We have no choice."  
_'You're wrong_,' Amara thought, though she knew Michelle was right. Oh how she wished Michelle could be wrong, that there was some way, some alternative universe, where they could disappear to and live peacefully the way they pleased.

Yeah, right.

Amara walked around Michelle, up the stairs in the living room to the loft upstairs, and straight into the large bathroom. As soon as she closed the door, she leaned back against it, slowly lowering herself to the ground.  
Hand on her face, her mind began racing. The happiness in her heart had just been shot to hell, completely gone.  
How could Michelle say such things to her? Nothing without their mission? She knows it's her destiny; she doesn't need to be reminded.  
She realized she's been pushing Michelle away, and in doing that neglecting what they had come here to do, but was that all really necessary?

Her left cheek stung as a tear trickled over it.  
Amara stood up and brushed it off, humiliated. Crying? How old was she?  
It was time to grow up. No more fucking around, it was time to buckle down and do what she was put here to do. Time to stop disappointing and upsetting her partner, the only real person she ever had in her life. The only one who has ever stuck around all these years.

She was nothing without her. Nothing without Michelle or Sailor Uranus. She was nobody.  
She walked over to the double sinks, turning on the hot water. She looked up, staring at herself in the mirror above. On the side of her face was a proud pink handmark, bound to bruise. The sink began fogging as the steam from the water rose.  
Splashing her face with the boiling water, she let her mind wander. The entire day had been such a ride, but she couldn't do that anymore. She had to give up on her thoughts of being happy as a normal being. She was Sailor Uranus, and she had a duty to fufill.  
She took a towel and began drying her face when there was a knock at the door. She knew who it was, and didn't want to answer. She remained silent for a moment.  
Michelle tries opening the door from the other side, but it's locked. "Amara, just open the door." she says softly.  
She does. Michelle steps in and grimaces when she sees the mark upon her face. "I'm sorry." she whispers, attempting to touch it. Amara backs away, turning around.  
Michelle frowns, knowing she had hurt the girl way more than physically. "Amara, I mean it. I didn't mean to-"  
"It was a bit unnecessary," Amara whips around, breaking her off. "I _am_ your partner. And I will always be. I can't change that and I know it. I'm not trying to. So just leave me be about it."  
Michelle nods, and take a step toward her, taking her hands. "I really do apologize Amara. I overreacted.." her grip on Amara's hands tighten as she looks from the mark on her face to her eyes. Her beautiful greens, void of emotion. Why was she this way? Why did she push Michelle away so suddenly?  
"You are my best friend, Amara. And we're all each other has."  
Amara nods. It was the truth; Amara could never rely on anyone else. Michelle was the only person who ever stuck around, who never abandoned her. She couldn't abandon her, seeing as they were in this together, but, even if she could, it was obvious that she wouldn't. Though they fought (now more than ever), they still needed each other, and they both knew it. There was no way either one of them could deny it; they had grown reliant upon one another.  
Michelle needed Amara just as much as Amara needed her, and though she put off that she was able to take care of herself, only she knew it was an act. She had to put up a charade to make Amara believe this whole time that all she cared about was their responsibilities as scouts, and though it was mostly what she focued on, she hated that she had to put aside Amara's feelings to get it done. But there was nothing she could do about that. It's what she had to do. If it were possible, she would let Amara wander off when she pleased, they would both live their own lives, and be content that way. The idea of a conventional life was incredible, made it tempting to abandon their duties as scouts, their mission to collect the purest heart crystals to save the world.. but if they gave it up, the world would soon come to an end, and would their lives matter then? No.

Michelle puts her hand lightly on Amara's cheek.

Wanting to wince from the sting on her face, she doesn't, in an attempt to look calm. Her heart was pounding. What was going on? What was Michelle doing? Why was she even here still? It was too late to be having deep conversations, and she wasn't up for it. She begins to walk away as Michelle's grip on her hand tightens, and tugs her back. "Amara.." she says quietly, and Amara turns back around, the hand returning to her cheek again, softer this time, as Michelle gets closer, their bodies touching.  
Without warning, Michelle pushes herself up onto her toes and places her lips to Amara's gently, closing her eyes.  
Amara's body jumps, shocked.  
She pushes Michelle away quickly. "What are you doing?" she stammers, taken aback. Her eyebrows furrowed, confusion written all over her face.  
"Why do I have to explain? Why can't you just let me in, Amara.." she steps close again, and reaches up, touching Amara's neck.  
"Michelle.." she looks down at Michelle's hand upon her shoulder, baffled. She didn't have a chance to look back up before Michelle's lips touched her's again.


	7. Soft Winds

The next morning came as a shock to Amara. The drapes in her room had been drawn, and the sunlight had began to trickle in.  
She looked to her left at Michelle, the sleeping porcelain doll in her bed. What did she do?

She didn't sleep with Michelle; no, she had refused to do that. After the kiss in the bathroom they moved to her bedroom, where Michelle ended up without clothes, but nothing came of it. Amara didn't have it in her. What was Michelle trying to acheive? They had obligations that they couldn't risk compromising with such actions.  
Michelle slowly came out of her slumber, hearing the shower running in the connecting bathroom. She got up and went to open the door, but it was locked. Again.  
Why would she have locked the door after what happened last night? Michelle sighed and slowly made her way downstairs, and put on a pot of water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`  
Serena walks up to Darien's apartment and rings the doorbell. No answer. She rings it again, three times. Still no answer.  
"Darieeeen!" she shouts, "It's meeee!"  
She waits; still no answer. Getting irritated, she lets herself in.  
She walks into a sound of classical piano playing loudly throughout the living room. Sitting on the floor, she looks at the books on his table.  
Her mind is boggled. Classical composers? What does that even mean?  
"They must be some sort of college books!" she said to herself, looking around. All around the room are books and cds of things she has never even heard of.  
Should she have heard of these things? Maybe it wasn't college stuff. Was she just oblivious to anything that has to do with smarts?

She deflates inside. Maybe she was just dumb. Everyone calls her meatball head, but maybe they should be calling her airhead. She obviously wasn't even near to being on Darien's level. He was so intelligent, so into his studies and the arts; all she was into was shopping and food. Did he think of her that way? Did he feel that the only reason to stay with her was because they were meant to be in the future? Did he actually, really like her?  
She drops her cookies on the floor and begins to cry, and the door opens. Darien walks in. "Serena? What are you doing-"  
He realizes she is crying and drops to his knees, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Serena what's wrong?"  
He notices the cookies, and takes one. Serena's tears stop as he puts one in his mouth and begins to chew.  
She can tell by the look on his face that they aren't very good and begins to wail again. "I can't even make nice things for you!"  
Darien swallows, "They are nice! I like them! I love when you make me treats, Serena."  
She stops crying. "You do?"  
"Yes," he smiles, "everything from you is nice."  
She smiles, wiping her face. "You mean it?"  
"Of course I mean it silly. How about we get out of here? How's lunch and a movie sound?"  
Serena jumps up. "Sounds great!"  
Darien laughs, gets up, turns off his music, and they walk out the door together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
"And then he took you shopping? Wow Serena, you're so lucky to have a guy like Darien." Lita says. Mina nods. "One day I can see myself with a guy like Darien.. tall, dreamy, and selfless!"  
"He only did it because it's the only way to get her to stop crying! Everyone knows she's a big baby." Raye spits.  
Serena crosses her arms. "I am not!"  
"Are too!"  
"Are not!"  
"You guys, we should really head over to Raye's to get to studying, we've been putting it off all day!" Amy pipes in, and Serena looks over at her.  
"Oooh, Amy, watcha readin'?"  
"Oh! Um, I'm reading-"  
"Do you think you could teach me some stuff Amy?" Serena butts in, "Like, about science? And Lita," she gets up, putting her head on Lita's shoulder, "would you mind teaching me how to make yummy food like you? There's nothing like knowing how to bake a little!"  
Lita is puzzled. "Uh.."  
"Serena, are you alright?" Mina says.  
"Absolutely! I'm just very interested in learning! Can't go wrong with being smart! So, how 'bout it guys? Mina, how about a little volleyball? Raye? You know a lot of stuff about different cultures, right?"  
Mina's eyes widen. "Uh, actually, I have to bring Artemis to um.. his grooming appointment! Sorry! See ya later guys!" she grabs the confused Artemis and speeds off.  
"Oh wow! I think I left the oven on! I have to go check!" Lita follows quickly. Serena looks over at Raye for her response.  
"Actually, Serena, I think you would be better off doing something else, like playing video games. I'll see you around you two." She walks away, shaking her head.

Serena turns to Amy, who is still sitting on the bench.  
"Well, Serena, if you are actually interested in learning about things, you really should try the library. It has plenty of information and books that we could check out for you!"  
"Don't worry about it, Amy," Luna says, "this learning business won't last very long."  
Amy's shoulders drop, disappointed. "Oh, alright. I guess I will see you later then, Serena. Goodbye Luna!" Amy walks away as well.  
Luna jumps onto the bench. "You can't be serious, Serena. You barely even pay attention in school! How about you start with those grades before trying to learn anything else!"  
Serena starts to whimper. "But.. I'm just not good at it. I'll never be good at anything!" she wails. Luna rolls her eyes. "Come on Serena, let's go home."  
"No thanks Luna," she whimpers again, "I'll meet you there, I'm going to go for a walk."

"Where are you off to?" Amara asks, walking downstairs in time to catch Michelle opening the door, violin case in hand.  
"Oh, I was going to go down to the amphitheater, maybe the gallery, play a little.. want to come?"

Amara smiles, grabbing her motorcycle keys. "I'll drive."  
They arrive as the sun was at its highest, the rays beating down on the both of them. Michelle stands on the stage while Amara sits on a bench. She watches as Michelle takes the violin out of the case, places it upon her shoulder, and begins to play. The sound resonated throughout the amphitheater, filling Amara's ears. It made her think of the day she walked in on Kana playing the piano, and wondered if that was all she could play. Kana's piano would sound beautiful paired with Michelle's violin. She herself had played with Michelle before, and often did during her public concerts, but, that was different. Playing for the public and playing alone, privately, it was two different things. You could see someone's heart open through their music in private. Concerts were merely a performance, an act.  
Michelle was beautiful. She looked like an angel, sounded like one too. She looked like porcelain, like she was fake. Like if you touched her, she would shatter into little pieces.

That kiss they shared, it wasn't their first. They had had many kisses, they had many experiences together before. They were once a couple, in a way, and very passionate with each other. They had a spark. Hell, they had more than a spark; they had fireworks. An explosion.  
But, that was then. Then when Michelle wasn't so focused solely on gathering the three true pure heart crystals. Back when she didn't rant about how love didn't exist. That all started after she had gotten caught up in their mission, and let go of Amara.  
Did Amara love Michelle then? Sure, she knew she did. Did Michelle ever love her back? That remained a mystery.  
Did it matter now? No. It couldn't matter. They had more important things to worry about. Amara had to stop being so wrapped up in Kana, or try to, because it would eventually screw up the routine she had with Michelle. The flow that had fallen into would be ruined, and the world can't afford to have it's saviors be distracted.  
Even if she _wanted_ to be distracted.  
She sighed. Maybe in the future. Maybe when, if they find the pure heart crystals, and stop the Silence in it's tracks, ultimately saving the world, maybe then she could focus on Kana. And, she would like to. Her past with Michelle has driven her more toward finding someone she could feel content with. Michelle made her happy, yes, but not in the way she needed. Sometimes she thought Michelle to be her soulmate, but most of the time, she knew she wasn't. If Michelle was her soulmate, she wouldn't be so interested in other women, right?  
They both had jealous tendencies, but, never really acted upon them, and never said anything too much to each other about their jealousy. Little comments here and there about bringing strange women (or men, also, on Michelle's part) home, but nothing beyond that.  
Michelle, still playing, looks up slightly, and nods at her, looking past her. Amara turns her head, looking behind, only to see Serena standing there in awe.  
Amara smiles. Serena was a funny kid. Very innocent, and sweet, but it was all extremely comical. She was such an airhead.  
"Wow!" Serena says, walking up to Amara, "You are amazing!"  
Michelle smiles, "Thank you Serena."  
"Could you teach me to play guitar?"  
Amara laughs. "It's a violin."  
Serena sighs, unresponsive, just looks dreamily up at Michelle. Amara liked the innocence in her; it gave her hope that people could be real in life. She was a genuinely kind girl, and genuinely interested in being friends with them. It made Amara happy to know that someone liked being around her.  
Other than Kana. And, well, Michelle, as of late. That kiss, what was that? What was Michelle thinking? And though it made Amara happy to know Michelle had still cared, if she actually did, and wasn't just fucking around to get her mind off Kana.  
Could that be what she was doing? Using their past together as lovers to her own advantage in order to get Amara's thoughts back on her and their mission?  
Michelle wouldn't stoop so low; would she? She wasn't the type.  
Amara should know better than to accuse her of such things. Though Michelle was desperate to keep her on track with her duties, she wouldn't stir emotions that way to get there.  
"Not at the arcade today, meatball head?" Amara jokes. Serena looks at her, frowning. "I'm trying to broaden my horizons! Get smarter! Be talented! I'm sick of video games all the time.." she looks up at Michelle again, "I want to do stuff, like play violin."

Amara chuckles, knowing exactly how she feels. Oh, how she longs to do things too, like, have a life.  
She stands up, and puts her hand on Serena's shoulder. "Good luck with that Serena. I'll see you later." and begins to walk away. Serena turns after her. "Where are you going?"  
Still walking, Amara puts her motorcycle helmet on. "For a ride. Helps me think."  
"How can you focus on thinking while driving _that_?" she exclaims, and Amara laughs, tossing one of her legs over the sides.  
Without an answer, she hits the clutch and flies off.

Serena turns back around to Michelle, who has stopped playing. "Serena," she says lightly, "you should stick to what you do best, not try to do what everyone else does. You're a good meatball head."  
Serena starts crying slightly. Michelle sits down on the floor of the amphitheater, her face aligned with Serena's.  
"What's the matter, Serena?"  
Serena wipes her eyes. "Well.."  
she wails. "Darien is too smart for me and I wanna be good for him! And I'm just not smart like he is.."  
Michelle chuckles. "Serena, you should never change yourself in order to be good for someone else. Darien should love you for who you are, braniac or not, and I'm sure he does."  
Serena sniffles. "You think so?"  
"Absolutely. You're a good kid, and I don't see any reason why someone shouldn't care for you."  
Serena smiles, relieved a bit. Darien did love her, despite her immaturity at times, and she knew that. Even if she still did wish she was more mature and intelligent for him, he still cared despite all that.  
"Serena," Michelle asks, "would you like to accompany me inside?"  
She lights up. "Of course!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Amara speeds around the backroads of town. She couldn't stay there, she couldn't watch Serena ogle over Michelle as if she were some sort of deity.  
She was, sort of, in a way, perhaps a deity. She sure as hell looked like one. But she was driving Amara mad; she just couldn't be there. It wasn't jealousy this time, it was almost disgust. Michelle was so different toward other people than she was in private. That's alright. If she wants to fake who she is, fine, but Amara wasn't going to be around. She'll probably tell Serena she can be anything she puts her mind to, that everyone loves her regardless, stupid things like that, that you say to boost someone's self esteem.  
Where was Amara's self esteem boost?  
"So, Michelle, do you like, want to be a musician as a career?"  
Michelle sighs. "I'd love to Serena, really. But, I don't really think I'm good enough to have it be my job forever.."  
"WHAT! Are you crazy? You're amazing!"  
Michelle chuckles modestly. "Well, thank you Serena, really. Actually, what I'd prefer to do the rest of my life is paint."  
"Paint? You paint too? Wow, you're like Superwoman!" Michelle laughs again.  
"I'm not, but thank you. I'd love to do these things, but I just don't think they'll work out. It's hard to plan for forever when your destiny may be something completely different than you once planned.." she lets her mind wander.  
'_Wow, she's so friggin perfect,_' Serena says to herself, looking Michelle up and down. '_Her and Darien would get along so great._'  
Then she stops and thinks for a second. Perfect, Barbie Doll Michelle, meeting her Darien?  
Hm. '_I better make sure it doesn't happen. What if he likes her more than me?_'

"Oh wow, are you Michelle Kaioh?"  
Michelle and Serena look up.  
"Kana!" Serena says, then thinks, maybe she didn't remember her. They weren't exactly friends.  
"Hey, Serena," Kana smiles, "how have you been?"  
She did remember! That was pretty awesome. At least she didn't just meet people and forget them, right?  
"I'm great, just spending some time with Michelle here.. do you know her?"  
Michelle and Kana shake their heads in unison. "Oh, no, we've never met," Kana scrambles for the words to say to her idol, "but I'm a huge fan of your work."  
Michelle smiles sincerely. "Well, thank you. Always nice to know I have some fans out there."  
Kana nods, enthusiastic. "I think you're incredible. I can't wait 'til your next collection."  
Michelle blushes, flattered.  
"Well, Michelle, this is Kana," Serena motions. "Kana, meet Michelle."  
They both nod to each other. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kana."  
"You as well," Kana gives a toothy grin. "I'm honored, honestly."  
"I'm actually surprised you two don't know each other already," Serena says, "through Amara."


	8. World Turning

"Oh, you know Amara?" Michelle inquires. Kana nods, and Serena butts in. "Actually, _we_ met through Amara. Kana challenged her to a race at the arcade, and won!"  
Michelle looks back to Kana. "That's very impressive. Amara lives for racing."  
"How do you know Amara?" Kana asks, then remembers her conversation with Amara.  
_'My friend painted these'_ That day they met, in front of Michelle's paintings. But, she couldn't retract her question now. She looked Michelle up and down nonchalantly, as fast as she could. She was perfect. Standing right in front of her, so talented. Her paintings were so real, so emotional, so relatable. How was Michelle so perfect? Flawless skin, hair, face. Her body was that of a goddess, every curve perfect, right where they were supposed to be. Michelle sighs blushing slightly, which brings questions to Kana's head.  
"I've known Amara for a long time. Our past is such a long story, really, though fate brought us together.."  
Kana wanted to furrow her brow, but withheld. What did that mean, fate brought them together?  
"We're very close." Michelle finishes, smiling.

"Oh, that's great. She's sweet." Kana replies.  
_'Sweet? My Amara? Sweet? That's hard to believe.. unless..'_ Michelle's thoughts bounce off the walls of her brain, and she thinks back to the morning she confronted Amara about their lack of communication recently.. when she said she had met someone.  
Michelle's breath catches. Was this her? The girl Amara had spoke of? The one she had refused to elaborate on?  
Well, she could see why. Kana was.. precious, to say the least. But, she was younger than Michelle. Younger looking. Is that why Amara liked her, because she looked fresher? Her hair less drab, do her eyes sparkle a bit more? Was Michelle getting old?  
Little did they know, they were both creating a jealousy within themselves, of each other.  
"Do you happen to know where Amara is, maybe?" Kana asks, Michelle shakes her head. "I'm sorry, no. If I could keep her on a leash I probably would." she chuckles.  
Kana raises an eyebrow. "Oh, alright.."

Serena glances back and forth between the two of them. "Um.."  
Michelle looks at her and smiles. "Oh." She looks at Kana, "We really should be going."  
Serena tilts her head. "Where to, Michelle?"  
"I think we may go talk more about your violin skills, actually, Serena."  
Her eyes light up. "Really? You mean it? Will you teach me?  
Michelle chuckles, "Perhaps, Serena. For now, let's get going." She begins to walk away, then turns and nods at Kana. "Until next time. Pleasure meeting you!"  
Fake courtesy.  
Serena waves, following Michelle. "Bye, Kana! Hope to see you again soon!"  
"You too Serena, see you later! Bye, Michelle. Pleasure finally meeting you also!" she smiles at Michelle, in the back of her mind still wondering what she meant by "very close".  
Not that it mattered. Amara didn't belong to anyone, she can be close to anyone she pleases.  
Still, it's bothersome..

Michelle had no intention of telling that girl where Amara was. No intention at all. Neglected to tell her they were meeting up with her at the diner within the next twenty minutes. No way in hell. Who was she, anyway? Michelle didn't know her. Why would she give out information like someone's location to someone she had never even met before? What if she was some psycho stalker who was out to kidnap Amara or something?  
Well, that was a bit unrealistic, but still. She had to create some excuse in her mind as to why she didn't like Kana. She couldn't pin it on jealousy, that wouldn't look good at all. But, then again, she wasn't jealous, right? Was this jealousy? Highly unlikely. What did she have that Michelle didn't? What was there to be jealous of?

Nothing, really. Nothing, other than the brightest eyes Michelle's ever seen, and the cutest freckles..  
_'Don't think about her, Michelle'_ she told herself, '_It'll just bother you in the long run. Don't irritate yourself, you'll overreact later on. It'll all blow up in your face._'  
Plus, what if she was some sort of family friend of Amara's?  
No. That too was unlikely. No one knew Amara's family, and she was too young when they passed to have kept in contact with any sort of family friends. Not that she'd want to. Knowing Amara, she's tucked her parent's existence into the way back of her mind, under every other thought she kept locked up in there.  
Because, she wasn't letting any out to discuss with Michelle. Not like she used to, at least.  
The entire time, Serena had been rambling, not even stopping for Michelle to ever answer. It didn't matter, Michelle had been lost in thought. She snapped back into reality, paying attention to the blonde's ramble.  
"And, I just really want to do stuff to please him.. you know?"  
Michelle nods. "Yes, Serena. I think that, if you stick to something, you're bound to catch on eventually."  
They get to the diner, and take a seat. A waitress comes up and asks what they'd like. Serena orders a vanilla milkshake, Michelle a cup of tea.  
"Black, with sugar please."  
"Absolutely!" the waitress says, and walks away happily.  
Michelle looks at Serena again, and is about to ask more about Kana when she's interrupted.  
"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" It's Amara. "Something felt off, had to check it out." she nodded at Michelle. Something was up. A heart snatcher, maybe? Was one close?  
"Hey Amara!" Serena says. Amara takes a seat next to Michelle as the waitress comes back with their drinks.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I had no idea you had one more coming," she looks at Amara, "anything I can get for you sir?"  
Amara smirks. "Uh, just a coffee. Black, please."  
The woman nods and walks off once again.  
Serena looks at Amara, slurping her milkshake. "Do you get that a lot, Amara?"  
"Get what a lot?" she blinks, before realizing what she meant. "Oh," she laughs, "yeah, I do. But, that's alright, I don't really mind."

"So, Serena," Amara continues, "how was your day with Michelle?"  
Serena smiles wide. "It was great! We went and checked out her art, which is _gorgeous_!"  
Michelle chuckles modestly. "Really, Serena, thank you."  
"No problem." she slurps at the straw again. "I wish I was talented like you. You're incredible."  
Amara smiles and nods. "Yeah, she's great alright." she nudges Michelle playfully with her elbow.

She was in a good mood today. Michelle wondered why. She nudges back, and the waitress comes back with Amara's coffee.  
Michelle sips her tea as Amara blows lightly on her drink. Serena swallows a large gulp of milkshake.  
"Oh, Amara," Serena pipes up. "We saw Kana earlier."  
Amara's body twitched at her name. '_We..?_'  
"Oh, that's pretty cool," Amara says, acting nonchalant. Michelle interrupts her mid-sentence.  
"She was very nice."  
"She really is!" Serena says. "I didn't know she was a fan of Michelle's."  
Amara really didn't want to talk about her with Michelle. This was so awkward. What does she say?  
Of course, she'd like to ask questions. Where did they see her, what did they talk about, what she said to Michelle, what she was wearing..  
"Yeah, she is."  
"Serena told me about how Kana defeated you in a video game race," Michelle raises an eyebrow, smirking. "I was impressed. You never told me."  
"Ha. Yeah, she beat me. Have you been down to the arcade lately, Serena? We should go there later." change the subject, change the subject, change the subject as fast as possible. Let's _not_ talk about Kana anymore. This was so incredibly awkward. Serena nods in agreement, but Michelle has other plans.  
"Actually, I was thinking you could maybe go to this instead, Serena." she holds out two tickets. Serena looks at them. They were for a violin concert later on that night.  
"Awesome!" she shouts, not realizing how loud she was. She looks around, embarrassed, and Michelle chuckles. Serena takes the tickets, "Are you sure you want to just give these away to me?"  
"Absolutely, silly. I had extra anyway."  
Serena smiles, her pearly whites showing. "Wow, this is incredible. Thanks, Michelle!"  
Michelle laughs. "Anytime. Maybe you can learn a thing or two about music. To fuel that fire for intelligence."


	9. Keeping Classic Composure

"So you think you will get it right this time, Kaori Night? You have found a pure heart crystal?" Doctor Tomoe's deep voice rumbles.  
"Yes Doctor. A musician. There's no way this one isn't pure."  
"I hope you're right, Kaori Night. For your sake."  
Kaori Night is confident. You have to have a pure heart to play music. Impossible not to.  
"Yes, this is the perfect moment. The perfect heart."  
Tomoe releases the seed, and it jumps into the air.  
"Fly my pretty, fly!" he shouts, and breaks out into his maniacal cackle. Kaori Night grins behind him.  
_Find your target._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The violinist sat, nervous, in the rehearsal room, in front of a large vanity. He stares at himself, trying to relax.  
"It's alright, you've done this a million times. This one is no different."  
'_So what if it's two hundred people more than you've ever played for._'  
"A crowd is a crowd." he sighs, closing his eyes, and leans back into his chair.  
Almost drifting into a light sleep, he thinks he hears something. He jumps up, turning around.

Nothing, no one there. Just his violin case and the rest of an empty room.  
But, his violin case held more than just his violin.  
On the side, written in gold script, was the name "Sebastian", a name, courtesy of his mother's prediction of his musical talent. She named him after her favorite classical musician, which, in the music business, had brought many jokes upon him. Luckily he didn't share the last name as the famous composer.  
He sighs again, returning to face his reflection in the mirror.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Look," Amara says, spying through her small binoculars. "There's meatball head and her peanut gallery." She hands the binoculars to Michelle, who leans forward and looks through them. "You're right. I'm glad she showed. She is really dedicated to impressing her boyfriend."  
Amara snorts in a laugh.  
"That must be him.." Michelle says, dreamily. "I think his name is Darien.."  
Ugh. Really? What was she trying to do, make Amara jealous? They were back to these games again? Hadn't she learned Amara can play them better, and actually go for the people she ogles at?

"You're drooling, Michelle."  
Michelle sits up straight, putting the binoculars in Amara's lap. "I can look, can't I?" they look at each other, and Amara shrugs. "Seems like you've been looking at plenty of people lately." referring to their kiss. Did Michelle know what she meant?  
Either way, it shut her up. Conventiently, the violinist walked onto the stage. Amara relaxed. No more talking, only listening to the beautiful music that was about to erupt from his instrument. She enjoyed these nights with Michelle. They hadn't had one in a while. Haven't been to many shows. They've both been somewhat too busy, in different ways and the same.  
Like, their mission. Amara could feel the Earth's vibrations going crazy. She was constantly on her toes all day, ready to pounce at the sight of a heart snatcher. But, there were none. It was like her connection to the world was wrong, which frightened her. Her predictions were always right. Could her lack of communication with Michelle have something to do with it all? Or Kana?  
Was Kana distracting her, ruining her talents?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sebastian put the violin upon his shoulder, resting his chin on it. But, as soon as the bow touched the strings, the entire violin began to glow white. A deafening screech resonated through the auditorium.  
Amara knew what was happening. She could feel it. She wasn't wrong this time. It had to be: a heart snatcher.

Sebastian screams. What's going on? Was he dreaming? Was this some sort of nightmare? Why couldn't it have been the usual ones, where he is naked in front of a crowd?  
Michelle and Amara look at each other as the violin begins to grow arms, legs, and an ugly head, screeches again, putting everyone to sleep.  
Or so they thought. They ran out before they noticed a few people still awake.  
"Wake up, wake up!" Sebastian screams, pinching himself, eyes closed.  
"Ah, this is not a dream deary, but allow me to sing you to sleep!" she screeches again, revealing a black star on her hand, which pulls Sebastian's heart crystal from his frail body. He drops to the floor, unconcious.

Serena, Darien, and the girls watch in horror.  
"Go, all of you, cover the exits!" Darien says, and the girls obey. On their way out, they all shout their words.  
"Mercury, Star, Power!"  
"Mars! Star! Power!"  
"Venus, Star, Power!"  
"Jupiter, Star, Power!"

Serena puts her hands to her brooch.  
"Moon Cosmic Power!"  
"Sailor Power!" they all shout, light surrounding them. They step out transformed, Sailor Scouts. They run out the door to make sure that monster goes no where.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Uranus," Sailor Neptune says as the run out the back door, "do you think he might have a pure heart?"  
"I'm not sure," Uranus takes a breath, taking in the fresh night air. "But we're sure as hell gonna find out."  
The windows all smash as the Scouts hear the familiar scream. The heart snatcher was coming, and was about to be halted.

It jumps out the broken window, into the line of fire of the Sailors.  
"Stop right there!" Sailor Mars shouts. The heart snatcher glares at her. "Who are you!"  
"We are the Sailor Scouts!" Sailor Jupiter barks. "I'm Sailor Jupiter!"  
"Sailor Mars!"  
"Sailor Venus!"  
"Sailor Mercury!"

"And I'm Sailor Moon!" she exclaims. "Punisher of wrong-doers, here to triumph over evil songs like your's!"  
"Give up now!" Sailor Venus says confidently.

"Keep dreaming!" the heart snatcher hollers, and fires a screaming attack at the girls, hitting them. They drop to the ground, legs not working, too weak to stand.  
She goes to attack again when a single red rose penetrates her shoulder. She squeals in pain. "What is this!"  
"Whoever taught you about music must not have been deaf!" Tuxedo Mask shouts. "You don't have any skill!"  
The violin-woman grows angry, jumping up to attack. Sailor Jupiter hits her first.  
"Jupiter, Thunder! Crash!" a ball of electricity flies toward the heart snatcher. She dodges, and the thunder ball hits a statue.  
"Jupister, be careful! This is a historic building!" Leave it up to Sailor Mercury to always keep such things in mind at a time like this.

The crazed being screams again, knocking the girls and Tuxedo Mask to the ground for a second time.  
The girls fear for their lives. Their legs, once again, have been glued to the ground, too weak to move. They try to wobble to their feet when they hear another woman shout.  
"Neptune Deep Submerge!" a large blue sphere of light hits the heart snatcher, knocking her into a wall.  
The Scouts look up, their eyes finding their way to the two women perched atop the building.

"Neptune, Uranus!" Sailor Moon says. Sailor Uranus nods in recognition. "We'll take it from here, Sailor Soldiers!"  
"What?" Tuxedo Mask is puzzled, "Why not work together?"  
"Sorry, we don't have the time to sit around and answer questions," Uranus replies, "we've got work to do."  
"We're after truest, three pure heart crystals, and that evil instrument may just have one." Sailor Neptune adds.  
"Wait a minute," Sailor Mars says, "so, you aren't actually Sailor Soldiers?"  
Sailor Jupiter crosses her arms. "You're just imposters, pretending that you're the good guys!"  
"Why don't you just get lost!" Venus shouts, "We can handle things just fine!"

The heart snatcher gets up, and leaps at Sailor Neptune. Sailor Moon, without thinking, jumps up and grabs Neptune, pulling her to the ground safely.  
Sailor Neptune gasps. "You just saved my life! Why would you do that?"  
"It's what I do!" Sailor Moon smiles, and the smile is returned.

"Okay, that's enough playing around!" she thrusts her hand in the air as a large orange globe of light begins to form. "Uranus World Shaking!"  
Faster than it can blink, the heart snatcher is blasted backwards, paralyzed.  
"Sailor Moon, go!" Tuxedo Mask shouts. She nods, "Ready!"

She holds out her scepter.  
"Moon Spiral, Heart, Attack!"

The heart snatcher, frozen, is struck, screams louder than before, and desintigrates, turning back into Sebastian's violin. The seed pops out, opening, a puff of smoke drifting off into the air. The heart crystal glows bright.  
Sailor Neptune immediately jumps over, grabbing it. She examines it before calling Sailor Uranus over.  
Sailor Uranus's shoulders slump, disappointed. "It's a very beautiful one, but it's not pure."  
"Neptune, Uranus!" they hear, and look over. It's Sailor Mercury.  
"What is a heart crystal, what does it do?"  
"Yeah," Sailor Venus adds, "and how do you know which ones you're looking for?"  
Sailor Uranus smiles. "I think we'll just let you find your answers on your own." she is about to toss the heart crystal to Sailor Moon when Sailor Neptune grabs her wrist, sending a jolt of surprise through her. This always happened, when they touched.  
"Uranus, be careful. An artist's heart is delicate, it must be returned safely."  
Sailor Uranus grins on the inside. So, she did care about the people the heart crystals resided in. That was surprising, considering all she ever spoke of was finding the purest ones. Even if that meant the death of the vessel it belonged to. She gave the crystal to Neptune, who handed it to Sailor Moon.  
"Please, be gentle with it and return it to it's owner safely." they return to their rooftop perch, and in an instant, are gone.

"They always leave without saying goodbye.." Sailor Venus says.  
"Yeah, and where did they come from?" Sailor Jupiter wonders outloud. Sailor Moon shrugs. "As long as they're on our side, which I'm pretty sure they are, I don't think we have to worry."  
The rest of the girls nod, and go inside, returning the crystal to Sebastian's body.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm so bummed," Serena says, walking down the street with Darien, arms linked together. "I really wanted to try and like the concert, and get into it."  
"That's alright, there will be others. Hey, how about some pizza? I could go for a bite to eat right about now." he says happily. Serena leaps into the air, ecstatic.  
"Absolutely! I'm starved!"  
Above them, hidden in the shadows of a bridge, stand Amara and Michelle. Michelle giggles. "She's such a big dweeb."  
"You're not kidding."  
"She's a sweet girl, though."  
Amara nods, agreeing.  
"And, that Darien of her's.."  
Amara rolls her eyes. "Quit it, Michelle." she begins to walk away.  
"What do you mean, quit it? He's handsome, is all."  
She was so caught up in looks all the time. Maybe because she herself had no flaws, and was quite the looker, but, still, she could relax. Whenever she showed an interest in someone, she either made it a point to talk about their looks, or they were just a beautiful person. And, not necessarily on the inside. She's brought home plenty of wretched men (and women). Gotten into plenty of bad positions and relationships, ended up getting hurt in more ways than one. Which, when you think about it, was probably the main reason she didn't believe in true love. Having so many failed relationships and relationship attempts under your belt is sure discouraging.  
But, then again, you'd think maybe she'd learn from the mistakes she's made.

She follows Amara back to her car, and they head home.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kana lies in the middle of her bed, staring through her ceiling window at the moon above her. All seemed so peaceful when the moon was shining, as if it protected her. Like it was a shield against any harm. Nothing went wrong when the moon was out, and the calm helped her fall asleep. Usually. Tonight was a different story.  
After running into Serena and Michelle, she spent all day around town, shopping, stopping at snack shops to drown her anger with food and used retail therapy as a small band-aid. It helped. She got some nice things, but still couldn't get Michelle or Amara out of her head. Did she even have a reason to be jealous, or was she just crazy? She did get that way when she met someone new. Even still, she couldn't let it get to her. If she let her jealousy take control of her, she'd give up power over everything else. She had to keep a level head, keep cool, keep calm. She couldn't let herself become engulfed by her thoughts of Amara and Michelle, though it was a difficult battle to keep the questions at bay.  
Were they together?  
Did Michelle suspect anything?  
Did Michelle know about her?  
Where was Amara?  
Have they been together?  
What did Michelle mean by "very close"?  
Just how close have they gotten?  
Were they still close?

She grumbles, closing her eyes, pulling her blanket up to her chin. Not the time for thoughts. She was exhausted, and needed to sleep.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michelle and Amara sit at the small table in their kitchen nook, talking about the heart snatcher they encountered today.  
"I felt it coming. At first, I thought I was crazy, because nothing was happening, until it happened."  
Michelle giggles at her repetition. "Going crazy, hm?"  
Amara shrugs. "I feel I need to get more in tune with the earth's vibrations. The heart snatchers seem to constantly be one step ahead of us."  
Michelle nods. "Yes, I've worried the same, that maybe we will be too late next time." She touches Amara's socked feet with her own bare ones. Amara moves her's away immediately, causing Michelle's brow to go down. "What was that for?" she asks.  
"What?"  
Michelle sighs. Was she going to play dumb? She would do that; classic Amara. Making her admit to doing something that was supposed to be nonchalant. Something unsaid, she wanted to be said. If she wanted to play that game, then, touché. She knew how to push Amara's buttons better than anyone.  
"I was surprised at Sailor Moon's instant reaction to try and save me.." she says, not throwing any punches right away.  
Amara nods, glad Michelle didn't press the foot thing harder. The last thing she needed was to have to talk about boundaries with Michelle. She didn't want to get into another talk about their kiss, or having shared the bed together, or anything that has to do with them, their past together, or anything regarding anything Michelle was trying to get at. "Yes, but we can't think too much into it. Those Sailors might get in our way eventually. We have to keep our loyalties. You and me, that's all."

Michelle nods. '_You and me, hm? What about your little lady friend I met earlier today?'  
_That was her ammunition. "So, tell me more about your new girlfriend." she says calmly. Amara is taken aback. "W-what?"  
Girlfriend? Definitely not. What the hell was she talking about?  
"The girl I met earlier."  
_Kana.  
_Amara sighs. She had wanted to avoid this. What does she say? Does she tell Michelle the whole truth? How they met, how much of a better musician Kana was than her, how much more beautiful she was than her?

Of course not. No need to complicate things.  
"The one who beat you at the racing game. You didn't mention she was a racer." Michelle presses.  
"I didn't know she was." Amara let slip. '_Shit._' Had to talk about her now.  
Michelle raises an eyebrow, taking a sip of her tea. "Well, aren't you going to tell me about her then?"  
Ugh. Did she have to do this now? This was just going to make her irritated and jealous. She knew it would, so why was she asking? Why couldn't she just leave it alone?  
Why did she have to know every detail of everything that has to do with Amara's life?

"I don't really know her, Michelle, I just met her."  
"She asked for you."  
'_What?_' Amara threw a tantrum in her mind. Why didn't Michelle say something? They saw Kana right before they met Amara at the diner; they could've invited her along or something. Typical jealous Michelle not to. She probably acted like she hadn't heard from Amara in forever.  
Of course she wanted to ask Michelle all about it. What did Michelle tell her, what had Kana asked about? What did they talk about? What did Michelle think about her?  
_What did Michelle think about her?_ Did that matter really? Was Amara subconciously trying to please Michelle? She wasn't her mother.  
Though, maybe she has been using Michelle as a replacement family. It would make sense. They met a little after her parents died; maybe Michelle just simply took their place.  
Maybe as a sister.  
Ew. No, not as a sister. Not replacement family. How disgusting to even think that way. You don't sleep with your sister.  
"Oh, alright. I barely know her. She's a big fan of your's."  
"She was very nice, Amara. A bit young, though, don't you think?" she gets up and puts her teacup in the sink, rinsing it first.  
Amara stands up. "I just said I barely know her." she grabs her keys.  
"Isn't it a bit late for a ride?"

Amara smirks at her. "It's never too late to go for a ride."

She opens the door. There's really no point in arguing with Michelle. As she's said before, their communications were off, and it could ruin their plans, fuck up their mission. And doing that would help nobody. So Amara just left before she got too irritated.  
She needed to breathe, anyway.


End file.
